Parts of this should be open to the public. The public has had to endure all of the construction and has lost a large amount of land-space that could have been used for the community. Instead, we have a completely private & inaccessible area. Sure, there are cafes, fitness centers, and working areas within the building but none of it is public and all at the expense of the people who live there.
In the US, the smarter students don't generally waste their time with these programming competitions. Grades, research, and extra credit would matter more towards a student's academic success. These contests generally appeal more to "hobbyists" or those who have nothing better to do with their time, and so you get biased results.