In August 2003 a consortium led by EDAW was appointed by the Development Agency to prepare visionary regeneration masterplans for the Lower , located in the boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The plans were to map out the area to facilitate the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and crucially, the legacy – what the area would look like after the Games. The masterplans are a vital component of London’s 2012 bid as they provide the ‘design blueprint’ needed to transform one of the poorest parts of the UK into a stunning development, capable of staging the greatest sporting show on earth.

LOWERCHAPTER 19 LEA VALLEY OLYMPIC AND LEGACY MASTERPLANSJASON PRIOR 154 JASON PRIOR The proposals will help to meet the aspirations for London to become a sustainable city. The proposals will help to drive regeneration throughout the Lower Lea Valley and set a bench- mark for the whole of the . This vision deals with a range of masterplanning principles throughout the Valley. The proposals also set a new standard of urban design in the UK. They establish a series of layers, each of which can act as an individual programme but which can also be brought together to create a total design. This allows a range of projects to be implemented. This menu of interventions include: • A focus on communities. Preparation for the plans are built on existing aspirations within the boroughs and involve one of the largest public consultation events ever undertaken in the capital. The aspirations of existing communities and the anticipation of those of new incoming communities are an issue that resonates in London. The history of the development of has meant that great empha- sis has been put on easing the relationships between the two groups and creating inclusive public spaces. These include both green space in the parks and ‘blue’ space through remediation of rivers and canals; and integration, creating new connections within and across the valley. • A celebration of the area’s unique character. London lost many of its rivers into culverts and drains during the Victorian era. The opportunity to achieve an active relationship with the rivers and canals in the area will not only enhance the ‘green’ credentials of the area, but raise its status with London’s different character areas. The waterways will provide new experiences in recreation and pleasure. Rivers will run through the park and canals through built areas, creating an integrated urban water environment. • Greening the city. Its five key aims are: (1) to link the Lea Valley Regional Park to the Thames; (2) to integrate the park to the wider green space network; (3) to make use of waterways and

19.1 Olympic Park aerial perspective. Views show the location of the Olympic site, north of the Isle of Dogs on the bend of the .

Lower Lea Valley Olympic Masterplan 155 topography; (4) to integrate water management pedestrian and cycle routes, and a new road • Densification, consolidation and change. Many and ecological systems with landscape; and (5) network will re-integrate different areas through existing low-intensity uses will be relocated to to encourage active and intense use of green a series of new routes and connections. consolidated sites within the valley or to other areas. It does this by setting up a networked park areas. New development will bring in housing, structure, which will be designed to integrate It is not only external connectivity that is critical. offices and retail areas, as well as more and with local systems and incorporate great diversity Linking the area together so that it functions more better-quality open space. In addition, as part of of spaces, vegetation and habitats. Unlike many effectively is a key principle. This has to work for the government’s urban agenda, there is a conventional parks there will be no ‘green the Olympics, by providing major access routes recognition of the need for a more sustainable deserts’. and using them to channel movement to the right approach to the delivery of housing and its associated services such as transport. This has led Reconnecting the city. A key driver for this venues and to link up the main areas of the • to a raising of housing densities and an extolling project is to provide the connections to the rest Olympic Park, as well as for the post-event move- of urbanism as a way forward. of the city that have eluded the area for so long. ment through the area where the nature, form, The valley is well served by strategic transport enclosure and vitality of the routes will be • Delivering regeneration. With development on infrastructure, yet its internal transport system is addressed by post-games development of mixed- the scale proposed, sophisticated infrastructure almost non-existent. Bridges, major land bridges, use communities. systems are needed to handle the inputs (power,

156 JASON PRIOR 19.2 Olympic Park, aerial view. The landscape setting of facilities emphasises the Park setting in the wider green network.

Clockwise from left 19.3 Legacy Masterplan. Visionary regeneration masterplan for the site after the Games. 19.5 Village Plaza view. The heart of the village.

19.4 Olympic Masterplan. The design blueprint of Britain’s 19.6 Stadium external view. An iconic architectural design 2012 bid to host the Games in the Lower Lea Valley, statement. .

Lower Lea Valley Olympic Masterplan 157 water, energy, etc.) and outputs (waste and Marshes with the Thames. The new park system drainage). The scale of this development offers will create 127 hectares of publicly accessible open the opportunity to introduce innovative systems space, an increase of 66 per cent. A number of that demonstrate a new way forward for sustain- Olympic venues, including the velodrome and the able urban living. aquatics centre will be retained as major assets. • A city for people. With regeneration of the The plans would accelerate London’s expansion Lower Lea Valley many new jobs, homes and eastwards to accommodate the expected popula- social facilities for local people, will be provided, tion growth in the capital over the coming including new health and community centres decades. It would also redefine aspirations for and two new schools. These communities will be London’s urban landscape, as new buildings formed in a radically enhanced physical environ- and open spaces are planned across the capital ment, one that is easily accessible to all people. for the future. London will define the Games through its archi- tecture, its iconic venues, its cultural programme ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and its people. The Olympic venues within the Prepared by the EDAW-led Consortium (EDAW, Olympic Precinct will be set in an evocative river HOK Sport, Allies & Morrison, Foreign Office landscape, through which visitors will pass Architects, Mott MacDonald, Buro Happold, between venues, gather around video screens, or Faithful & Gould, Mace and Fluid working also find quiet places to picnic near the water’s edge. with Capita Symonds, Eversheds, GVA Grimley The Olympic and Legacy Masterplans would bring and Economic Research Associates). forward one of the largest and most significant urban regeneration projects ever undertaken in the UK. The Games would transform the Lower 19.7 The built environment legacy. Lea Valley, turning it into a vibrant new urban 19.8 Village water view. The Lea River is a key feature. quarter and a place of local and national pride.

19.9 Sketch, Olympic Park. Networked park structure. The Legacy Masterplan provides 9,100 new homes and thousands of permanent jobs and a major 19.10 Sketch, legacy. Footpaths and cycle network for local population. parkland along the linking Hackney

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