BOB DIGBY PRESIDENT, GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE APRIL – 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 Londons poorest areas Implementing sustainable principles into urban regeneration – the sustainable Games A celebration of Londons diversity – to create a Games for the world in one city Inspiring young people to take part in sport Creating a legacy which would last beyond 2012

The context of east London Source of photos – Trevor Llewelyn

The context of east London Closure of Londons docks & decline in the Lea Valley Deep-rooted deprivation & low environmental quality Docklands regeneration had failed to reduce deprivation Ken Livingstone photo : And the vision ahead ……

The worlds first Sustainable Games Convergence: reducing disparity Concept of an Olympic Park based on Sydneys 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 consumption 2.Develop public transport systems 3.Chemical-free refrigeration & air conditioning 4.Low impact building materials 5.Sustainable timber use 6.Habitat protection or expansion 7.Reduce air, water & soil pollution 8.Encourage water conservation 9.Improve indoor air quality (decoration, light & ventilation) 10.Reduce consumption of natural resources 11.Waste avoidance & minimisation 12.Avoidance of Genetically Modified Organisms 13.Increase quality of life 14.Take account of cultural & historical context 15.Transparency & monitoring in the development process Source:

The legacy of Athens 2004 Source: 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: 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 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 Londons prospective legacy? Promises of: A legacy use for every venue Environmental transformation Achieving high standards in sustainability Social 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 change Employment 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 move into 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 tenants West Ham confirmed as tenants 2017 World Athletics Championships 2017 World Athletics Championships UK Athletics flagship events UK Athletics flagship events Summer Concerts – Live Nation Summer Concerts – Live Nation But – the first Premiership matches 2015? But – 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 … : 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 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 criteria Successful design of an Olympic Park Environmental design improvements considerable Improved public transport Shortcomings: Shrouded in political secrecy The economics of the Games – sponsorship from Coca- Cola & McDonalds Social 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 Londons 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), and (probably) at a profit

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

Londonstransportsystemcoped

Celebrating diversity: Geography at work Stories of migrants (Mo Farah) and family ethnic diversity (Jess Ennis) Stories of migrants (Mo Farah) and family ethnic diversity (Jess Ennis) Achievement by Paralympians Achievement by Paralympians Awareness of disability Awareness of disability Affirmation of a sense of national pride after three decades of intense globalisation Affirmation of a sense of national pride after three decades of intense globalisation

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:

Not to mention a curriculum legacy FSC View Tube classroom The 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? (Londons USP) Benefits for low-income communities? How to define sustainability – is there sufficient focus on communities and convergence?

2012 didnt 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