BOB DIGBYPRESIDENT, GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION

GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCEAPRIL 2013

2012 – Just a summer to remember?

A view from the Royal Box …

….. but also a great deal of geography!

Putting Geography to work

Re-generating and transforming one of London’s poorest areas

Implementing sustainable principles into urban regeneration – the ‘sustainable Games’

A celebration of London’s diversity – to create a ‘Games for the world’ in one city

Inspiring young people to take part in sportCreating a legacy which would last beyond

2012

The context of east London

Source of photos – Trevor Llewelyn

The context of east London

• Closure of London’s docks & decline in the Lea Valley

• Deep-rooted deprivation & low environmental quality

• Docklands regeneration had failed to reduce deprivation

Ken Livingstone photo : http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/20/globalradio.radio

And the vision ahead ……

The world’s first ‘Sustainable Games’

• Convergence: reducing disparity

• Concept of an Olympic Park based on Sydney’s 2000 ‘Green Games’

• Environmental remediation of contaminated land

• Broad ‘Green’ principles – the Olympic Environmental Guidelines developed by Greenpeace (2000)

15 Sustainable principles

1. Reduce Energy consumption2. Develop public transport systems3. Chemical-free refrigeration & air

conditioning 4. Low impact building materials5. Sustainable timber use6. Habitat protection or expansion7. Reduce air, water & soil pollution8. Encourage water conservation9. Improve indoor air quality (decoration,

light & ventilation)10.Reduce consumption of natural resources11.Waste avoidance & minimisation12.Avoidance of Genetically Modified

Organisms13.Increase quality of life14.Take account of cultural & historical

context15.Transparency & monitoring in the

development process

Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/PageFiles/301173/guideline.pdf

The legacy of Athens 2004

Source: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/the-2004-olympic-legacy-that-london-must-avoid-6868504.html

Photo removed due to copyright. You can view the photo by typing in the URL after ‘Source’ below.

The legacy of Athens 2004‘The diving pool .. is home to a flip-flop, plastic bags, & polystyrene

cups’

‘The velodrome is ghostly quiet. Bird droppings cover the seating, the backs of which have also been spray-painted with graffiti’

‘Meanwhile, a vast Olympic Park … remains an abject wasteland. Three Olympic stadia …. go to waste. The fencing venue is … a

derelict hangar.’Source: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/the-2004-olympic-legacy-that-london-must-avoid-6868504.html

Photo removed due to copyright. You can view the photo by typing in the URL after ‘Source’ below.

The legacy of Beijing 2008

Photo courtesy of http://tripideas.org/beijing-olympic-stadium-china/

“Besides exhibition matches, concerts and a winter theme park, the Bird's Nest is barely used for anything other than tourism.”David Bond, BBC Sport blog

So what of London’s prospective legacy?

Promises of:A legacy use for every venueEnvironmental transformation Achieving high standards in sustainabilitySocial housing Economic opportunity and multiplier

1 Environmental change•A new Olympic Park along the Lea Valley•Soil remediation, creation of wildlife habitats

Changing this …..

…into this

2 Social change – the Athletes’ Village•2800 housing units built from sustainable materials•BREEAM rating ‘Excellent’

3 Economic changeEmployment based around sport …

The International Media Centre•3000 technology and media jobs?•A new ‘Silicon Valley’?

….. and technology

Source of photo – Peter Price

A new Green Economy?

London as a model for future cities?

Regeneration using sustainable design criteria

Timeline for the Olympic Park

1 January 2013

Renamed:

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic

Park

Easter 2013 / Summer 2014

The Orbit and southern Park open

Early summer 2013 First new residents moveinto East Village

Summer 2013: The Copper Box opens as a local community leisure facility

Late 2013:The Lea Valley Velopark BMX track, mountain-bike trail & road circuit open

Spring 2014 The Aquatic Centre opens as a local swimming baths

• West Ham confirmed as tenantsWest Ham confirmed as tenants• 2017 World Athletics Championships2017 World Athletics Championships• UK Athletics flagship eventsUK Athletics flagship events• Summer Concerts – Live NationSummer Concerts – Live Nation• ButBut – the first Premiership matches 2015? – the first Premiership matches 2015?• 2015 World Cup Rugby? 2015 World Cup Rugby? • 20/20 Cricket?20/20 Cricket?

Summer 2015 onwards

The legacy as a stimulus for further change ….

2015-16: the first full year of events and

activities (9 million visitors to the new Park?)

2017: Crossrail opens at Stratford.

July – World Athletics Championships

By 2030: five new residential neighbourhoods,

with over 8000 new homes

A true ‘Re-branding’ of east London

Ripple effects on local Ripple effects on local regeneration …regeneration …

.. and gentrification

Source of photo – Jo Shave

Measuring success of the Games

How to assess? Greenpeace awarded Sydney 5 out of 10 for the 2000 Games, based on their own criteriaSuccessful design of an Olympic Park Environmental design improvements considerable Improved public transport Shortcomings:Shrouded in political secrecyThe economics of the Games – sponsorship from Coca-Cola & McDonald’sSocial issues ignored, particularly housing

WWF Assessment of the Athens 2004 Games

Criteria in which Sydney – for the most part – scored especially well

Comparable Assessment of London’s 2012 Games

8.4 out of 10

London 2012 – some qualifiers

Hard to assess overall impact – external ‘events’ A time of great economic and social change –

rapid population growth in Newham accelerating demand for housing

Political change in London in 2008 – affordable housing reduced from 3000 homes to 1400

Like Sydney, social shortcomings blur the picture

We achieved a few things …

So – was that it?

We could do it – we could host the Olympic and Paralympic Games

On time, under budget (-£377m) , On time, under budget (-£377m) , and (probably) at a profitand (probably) at a profit

Tourism:Tourism:•Handling large numbers for mega-Handling large numbers for mega-eventsevents•Impact on hotels & employment Impact on hotels & employment

London’s London’s transport transport system system coped coped

Celebrating diversity: Geography at work Celebrating diversity: Geography at work

•Stories of migrants (Mo Farah) and Stories of migrants (Mo Farah) and family ethnic diversity (Jess Ennis)family ethnic diversity (Jess Ennis)•Achievement by ParalympiansAchievement by Paralympians•Awareness of disabilityAwareness of disability•Affirmation of a sense of national pride Affirmation of a sense of national pride after three decades of intense after three decades of intense globalisationglobalisation

“Sydney was the first Paralympics to treat Paralympians as equals. London was the first to treat them as heroes.”Adam Hills ‘The Last Leg’, Channel 4

We gained some new heroes

Source of photo: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/sep/01/paralympics-ellie-simmonds-defeats-rival

Not to mention a curriculum legacy

FSC ‘View Tube’ classroomThe Greenway

Questions for the future

• Duration of the Olympic ‘effect’? Will there be a similar experience to Sydney after 2000?

• Investment & sport: ‘cherry picking’ where to invest?

• Young people and participation in sport? (London’s ‘USP’)

• Benefits for low-income communities? • How to define ‘sustainability’ – is there sufficient

focus on communities and convergence?

2012 didn’t solve everything

Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in.

From ‘Anthem’ (1992)

But in the words of Leonard Cohen …

Notes regarding copyright

Most photos in this presentation were taken by Bob Digby; others with permission by Peter Price, Jo Shave and Trevor Llewelyn

Permission is given to use these in non-commercial educational presentations

To seek permission to use these in commercial publications, please consult the Geographical Association