What if Chicago hosted 2016 Summer Olympics?

(Graphic by Carolyn Duff / The DePaulia)With less than six months until the Olympic cauldron is lit in Rio de Janeiro, it seems odd to consider how close Chicago once was considered to be in the same position. Thought to be an early favorite, Chicago’s Olympic aspirations for 2016 were cut short when the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro in 2009.

One thing is for certain: a victory for Chicago would have meant major changes and projects would have been nearing completion by this point. Some of these changes would have altered neighborhoods in considerable ways.

The center for the games would have been a new 80,000-seat track and field stadium in Washington Park. The…