Why Stratford?
Why was this area chosen as the district to host London 2012?
Would this "regeneration" have occurred were it not for the olympics?
The London Borough of Newham has had the 4th highest number of crimes out of all the London boroughs over the last year. So why choose this area to host the greatest show on Earth? Stratford as a choice was merely a strategic decision by the olympic council, because it offered the necessary space to construct the sporting venues at the closest distance from central London, at the lowest cost. It also offered easy access to major hosting venues like the Excel and the O2 arena. The supposed "regeneration" was merely preparation for the olympics, with the majority of the funding used to construct the olympic park, the athletes village, and to improve the transport system.Were it not for London 2012, this scale of investment in the area would never have occurred. In fact, the £9.3 billion spent overall is seen in many quarters as the "cost of staging the games". The argument here is that Stratford was granted the role of stage, not on any sort of tangible merit, but purely out of the convenience of location and having the required space and landscape.
So what impact has hosting the games had on Stratford? Let's start with the positives: The olympic park and the Westfield shopping centre are impressive venues to boast about; the games have created positive awareness of the area, attracting tourists and shoppers; there has been expansion in the transport links; increased jobs; and new, modern homes are now available. Stratford is now on the map!
What are the negative impacts? Strangely they are very much linked to the "positives":
1.Local businesses have suffered, with customers favoring the new Westfield shopping centre.
2. Residents relocated from their homes, with rental/property prices now at an all time high. In addition to this, they have to now compete with an influx of trendy middle class people interested in moving into these new homes, attracted by the regeneration of the area.
Analysis of the impacts will show that the negative aspects of the impact have affected only the residents and local businesses, where as the positives are mostly benefitting stakeholders in the westfield shopping centre, and visitors to the area. Stratford has become victm of a twisted web; a scheme developed to favor higher powers and not the local community. The regeneration of the area was part of the dress-up. London was about to host the greatest show on the earth and English pride would spare no expense in making the main stage as pretty as possible. After all, the whole world was watching.
So who REALLY stands to gain from this "regeneration"?
The corporations as vultures; Westfield shareholders and associated retail giants, scooping up profits and continuing to do so long after the games; Quatari developers who have purchased the Athletes village from the government, for half of the amount it cost to build; and TFL and its associated parties. Capitalism in the highest degree.
And the loser is....
-The locals mislead by the bright lights; prospects of customers coming in, prospects of retail jobs, better transport facilities. But only the latter is of any significant relevance. Fair trade-off or daylight robbery?
What do you think? Would love your comments.
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