2012 Olympic Games Offer Area Development
Five years ago, London was approved to host the 2012 Olympiad. Now, construction for various venues are well underway to produce a unique Olympics experience that reflects the host country.
But after the long-term failure of the Millenium dome, the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Development Agency are working to produce venues that can be reused in some way after the games have ended. The result is the “legacy” idea, in which constructed venues are altered after the games to provide venues usable by the public. In addition, the Olympic Legacy will provide infrastructure development to the largely underdeveloped London region of Stratford City.
The construction and other projects for the 2012 London Olympic Games are such an undertaking that london2012.com was created to provide information about the games, venues and progress of construction. Despite a $39 million budget cut announced Monday, many projects have already come in under budget, saving a total of $870 million. {USA Today} The entire project is currently budgeted at $13.5 billion.
The two major construction projects in Stratford City are the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village. Olympic Park will become the largest European urban park in the past 150 years and will feature both a “festival” area in the south and a more natural, wildlife friendly area to the north. With a projected 2,000 trees of nearly a dozen species, the park will also feature various wetlands and gardens. The park will bring greenery and nature back to an area that was previously suffering.
Meanwhile, the Olympic Village is being built to house 17,000 athletes and Olympic officials. Shops, restaurants, medical and leisure areas are included in the construction, providing communal areas for athletes and others to interact with one another. After the games, the Village will be converted into 2,800 homes, 1,379 of which have been tagged as “affordable” housing. To encourage Londoners to consider Village homes, the newly approved Chobham Academy, yet to be built, will open in 2013. With space for 1,800 pupils, the school will provide education for students aged 3 to 19.
Additional improvements to the Stratford Regional Station will provide more access to Stratford City via Tube lines, as well as easier access from street level via elevators. Combined with the new facilities in Stratford City, the London Development Agency hopes that Stratford City will become a desirable place to live and provide more housing in an already full city.
