Places case study- The olympic park Flashcards
Where is the Olympic park located?
Stratford and New Town in the London borough of Newham
.Why did East London need rebranding?
- manufacturing had declined due to foreign competition
- illegal dumping in canals
- social deprivation, 2nd poorest London borough
- few transport links
- environmental problems associated with factory closure
What were the environmental problems associated with the closure of factories?
- rubbish
- contaminated brownfield sites
- toxic waste
- cyanide and lead in soils
What % of the population were under 24 before redevelopment?
41
What % of households had no one who spoke English as their first language before redevelopment?
24
What proportion of the population was white before redevelopment?
1 in 6
What was the population of the borough before redevelopment?
320,000
What were the 3 elements of rebranding?
- Improve the local environment
- Create a legacy of parkland and leisure facilities
- Tackle socio-economic issues and open up Newham to inward investment
What were the plans to improve the local envrionment?
- waste removed
- soil cleaned
- tree planted
- waterways improved
What were the plans to create a legacy of parkland and leisure facilities?
- provide flexible indoor spaces
- plant trees
What were the plans to tackle socio-economic issues and open up Newham to inward investment?
- create more and better jobs
- improve transport
- increase amount of housing
- bring in private investment
How was the local environment improved?
- soils cleaned of mercury and cyanide
- more green space
- more habitats for wildlife e.g. bat boxes in the Olympic park
- bridges connect Olympic park, village, and other developments
What is the effect of bridges connecting the park, the village, and further development?
- gives the message development is being shared with the whole of East London
- allows for better flows of people within the area
- allows for better flow of people in and out of the area
How was a legacy of parkland and leisure facilities created?
Through flagship architecture such as:
- aquatic centre open to the public
- ArcelorMittal Orbit, Britain’s largest sculpture
- Copper box arena, flexible space open to the public
- Olympic stadium modified
What does the Copper Box arena provide?
- gym facilities
- sports hall
- cafe
- hosts range of sports (e.g. basketball, boxing, volleyball
What have been the problems associated with the ArcelorMittal Orbit?
- estimated to coast Londoners £10,000 a day
- received 1/3rd of the visitors expected
How were the problems with ArcelorMittal Orbit dealt with?
-A slide from the top was built to try and boost visitors
How has the Olympic stadium been modified?
-capacity reduced from 80,000 to 54,000
Who purchased the Olympic stadium?
-West Ham FC
How much did West Ham pay for the Olympic stadium?
£25 million
How much did the Olympic stadium cost to build?
£700 million
What other events has the Olympic park hosted?
- Invictus games
- 2015 Rugby World Cup
How were socio-economic issue tackled?
How was Newham opened up to inward investment?
- Inward investment from Westfield
- Investment by Asper’s casino
- ‘Here East’ in the Olympic Park
- better transport links
How have transport links been improved?
- docklands light railway extended
- eurostar connection to Stratford
- Stratford regional station equipped to cope with greater numbers
- London’s crossrail project includes a spur line to Stratford
How did inward investment from Westfield tackle socio-economic issues?
- built shopping centre
- provides retail, social, and cultural opportunities
- new jobs created
- raised profile of East London
- created on a difficult previously isolated site
How much money did Westfield invest to create the shopping centre?
£1.45 billion
How much money did Westfield invest in public transport?
£150 million
How many jobs were created in the construction of Westfield?
27,000
How many permanent jobs were created by Westfield?
11,000
What were ‘Here East’ facilities used for in the Olympic games?
Built and used for Press and Broadcasts
Give an example of a tenant in ‘Here East’
BT Sport
How many jobs has ‘Here East’ created?
6500
How has ‘Here East’ helped to tackle social inequality?
- partnered with Hackney community college to provide digital apprenticeships
- Loughborough university created new postgrad reearch centre
Why are the educational connections ‘Here East’ provides so important?
The area has a low % of young people having qualifications
How many houses have been built?
10,000
How has the Athlete’s village been re-purposed?
- turned into 2800 homes
- 1400 of which are affordable homes
How has the community been developed as a result of redevelopment?
- community hub built
- health centre built
Evaluate the impact of redevelopment on jobs
- more jobs have been created
- many zero hours contracts or insecure part time
- many are low paid
- does not offer financial stability
What are the typical jobs that have been created by redevelopment?
- cleaners
- security guards
How has rebranding altered out of area perceptions of Newham?
- much more positive
- previously perceived to be disconnected and run down
How has rebranding altered residents’ perceptions of Newham?
- few feel people have gained employment
- wealthy only benefiting
- job security feels threatened
- increased cost of living
- look forward to new facilities
What are the perceptions of investors about the area?
- good area to invest in
- good transport link
How has redevelopment impacted housing?
- more homes built
- homes built mostly private rent
- residents can’t afford new homes
- cost of housing has risen
How many businesses were demolished to make space for the Olympic Park?
250
How much money did the national lottery contribute towards to Olympics?
£2 billion
What was the budget for the Olympic Delivery Authority?
£5 billion
