Mornings in Hackney

This area is also currently one of the most derelict, deprived and polluted areas in London. Much of it is derelict industrial land. It is an area fragmented and divided by roads, rail lines and waterways and is characterised by poor housing. Unemployment is high – around 35% in some areas – and it has amongst the worst public health records in the UK.

But instead of these factors being an obstacle to hosting the Games, London turned them to its advantage by focussing on the potential the Olympics provide for regeneration and a long-term legacy. For the first time an Olympic bid placed sustainability, regeneration and the environment at the very heart of its plans. The aim is to produce a model for sustainable urban development and set a benchmark for the Olympic movement. With half the world’s population living in an urban environment the focus on a sustainable Games provides a high-profile opportunity to present solutions to global problems in a range of areas – waste, transport, energy.

London 2012 plans to cover the following areas: housing, green space, water, energy efficiency and waste

One feature of the London 2012 bid was the involvement, from a very early stage, of local communities and NGOs, including environmental groups such as WWF and BioRegional, in formulating the proposals. The bid recognised that, as a high profile international event, the Olympic Games has the potential to be a role model for environmentally friendly practices. To encapsulate a vision for the Games London put forward the concept of a “One Planet Olympics” based on WWF’s One Planet Living campaign. The idea behind WWF’s campaign is that if the whole world lived as we do in Europe we would need three planets to support us; therefore we need to reduce our impact and our use of natural resources.

The London bid team also put the idea of “legacy” at the centre of its proposals. The idea of a legacy is synonymous with sustainable development; it is about using the Games to provide long-term social, environmental and economic benefits. The Olympic Park, in the Lower Lea Valley, will become the focal point for Europe’s largest urban regeneration project for more than 150 years. This area will play a key role in the regeneration of East London, delivering benefits to the local community long after the Games have closed.

The plans for 2012 cover a range of areas and sectors
Housing: the legacy of the Olympic Games will be around 9,400 homes, half of these “affordable housing”, including the conversion of the Olympic village into 3,600 homes. Housing for people in wheelchairs or with other special needs will be incorporated into the plans.

Green spaces: the rehabilitation of the Lower Lea Valley, where the Olympic Park will be situated, is at the heart of the concept of an Olympic legacy for east London, restoring an eco-system and revitalising a community. This includes the creation of a comprehensive network of open spaces with an increase in publicly accessible open space of 66%. Rather than causing the loss of natural habitat for wildlife the nature of the development will allow for an increase in the amount and diversity of ecological habitats, including an additional three hectares of new wetlands. The games will create the largest new park in London since the Victorian era in the 19th century. The park will be as big as Hyde Park and will double the amount of green space in the Lower Lea Valley. The park will be planted with native species, including oak, ash and hawthorn to provide a home for wildlife in the middle of the city.

Canals and waterways: water will be a key theme of the development plans. Historically, water has played an integral part in the evolution of London as a city, from its earliest settlement as a strategic crossing over the Thames to the dock basins built for the unloading of ships as Britain built its economy as a leading trading nation. In recent years London has begun to renew its use of its rivers, for transport, housing and recreation. The Olympic plans continue this trend. The canals and waterways of the River Lea will be cleaned and widened and the natural floodplains of the area restored to provide a new habitat for wildlife. The strategy aims to put rivers back at the centre of life in the Lower Lea Valley, for work and recreation. Where rivers flow through built areas they will be treated as streets, with buildings facing on to them, wharfs and moorings for boats, and bars and restaurants overlooking the quaysides.

A Low Carbon Games: the aim is to minimise the “carbon footprint” of the games during the design, construction and operational stages, including through the use of renewable energy. The Olympic Park will use the most energy-efficient power supply possible: a tri-generation plant will supply electricity, heat and chilled water to the Olympic Park using technology which produces 33% lower CO2 emissions than energy from the electricity grid. The most carbon-efficien fleet of vehicles will be used to move competitors and officials between events and spectators will be encouraged to use public transport, cycle or walk to events. Of course some emissions will be unavoidable, including from people flying into London from all over the world. These emissions will be offset by supporting and developing clean energy projects in developing nations.

A Zero Waste Games: London is committed to ensuring a “zero waste” Games and avoiding sending waste from the Olympics to landfill sites. This can be achieved by minimising waste and maximising recycling and by using waste products as energy sources. Every Olympic venue will provide recycling facilities and information for staff and spectators to reduce litter and promote recycling. The Games will have a sustainable procurement policy for food, services and merchandise, including the purchase of Fair Trade products. The idea of recycling even extends to the venues themselves – after the games four arenas will be dismantled and moved to other parts of the UK, as well as three swimming pools. Charities and sports clubs will be given the equipment used during the Games free of charge.

The Games’ organisers recognise that London 2012 must offer more than 17 days of world class sport. They must deliver a lasting legacy for London and the UK and set a model of sustainability for other cities and for the Olympic Movement. Sebastian Coe, former Olympic medalist and leader of London’s bid, said: “sustainable development is not just about the environment – it is about the economy, health and welfare of our communities. We want our One Planet Olympics to be the most complete and sophisticated expression of sustainable development ever delivered on a city-wide scale”.