ACCOMMODATING GROWTH OR CONFLICT?
 

The London Olympic Games in 2012 will be one of the main catalysts of social, physical and environmental change in the wider London Thames Gateway. Located at the heart of East London’s diverse communities, composed of traditional local residents and successive waves of mainly Asian immigrants, the 270-hectare Olympic site is close to Stratford town centre and its major transport connections that will link to central London and the Continent in 2007.

The urban landscape is fragmented and constrained by busy roads and train lines, but large amounts of green space and water in the Lower Lea Valley provide significant potential for a new piece of city in East London. 9,400 homes will be located within the Olympic Park, half of which are targeted to be within affordable price ranges, alongside the 37,000 new housing units planned for the wider area. A major commercial and retail complex is planned for Stratford City, creating a new focus for jobs and economic development. The new sports facilities will be set in an open and generous landscaped environment that creates links to the surrounding communities. The key question that will determine the success of this project is how to build, in a previously decayed area, a new piece of sustainable and accessible city with housing that is both affordable and appealing to a wide range of income and social groups.