Setting the Bar: Preparing for London's Olympic legacy
Article
A year after winning the bid, London is gearing up to deliver the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Games plan promises to regenerate the East London site and its surroundings. This paper assesses the likely economic impact of the Games on East London, Greater London and the UK.
We need to be realistic about what the Games can deliver. Not all local residents will be able to access the employment opportunities created by the Games. And areas outside of London will not all gain as much as they anticipate. To avoid disappointment later, we should all adjust our expectations now.
A substantial, lasting London 2012 legacy is within reach. But London needs to make sure that the potential gains are realised. The benefits will not just happen automatically. Success depends on whether we have put in place the appropriate mechanisms and partnerships to deliver a legacy of wider economic benefits.
Centre for Cities has re-launched as an independent think tank. You can visit them online at http://www.centreforcities.org.
Related items
A people-focussed future for transport in England
Our findings from three roundtables on the impact of transport in people’s lives and the priorities for change.Progressive renewal: The Global Progress Action Summit
A quarter of the way through this century, change is in the air. Everyone, everywhere, seemingly all at once, wants out of the status quo.Insurgent government: How mainstream parties can fight off populism and rebuild trust in politics
Across the western world it feels like a sea change is occurring in our politics. At the heart of this is a simple fact: large numbers of people increasingly feel that mainstream politics is failing to deliver for them.