Throughout the summer of 2022, a decade since the London 2012 Olympic Games, UCL Urban Laboratory collaborated with UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, the University of Cardiff, Oxford Brookes University, and the University of East London to undertake an interrogation of the Legacy of the Games for the people and environment of East London.
State of the Legacy Review
To coincide with ten years since the London 2012 Games, the multi-university team have produced the State of the Legacy Review, an examination of the wide range of literature produced about a Games that always promised to have legacy at its heart. More has been written about the London 2012 Games than any before or since. Spanning areas including housing, governance, employment and parkland, we take a look at what the trends and overall messages of this body of work are, what this tells us about the legacy of mega-events for those living amongst them, and how the promise of legacy held up in reality.
State of the Legacy Conference
On September 12-13th, UCL Urban Laboratory hosted a community breakfast and 2-day conference interrogating a decade of ‘Olympic Regeneration’ in East London, marking a decade since the London 2012 Games.
This event, in collaboration with UCL IGP, Cardiff University, Oxford Brookes University and the University of East London, was free and open to the public, and based at Timber Lodge and UCL at Here East in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Films
The Other Side of Docklands (1991) - https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/748281883
A 30-minute community video providing a counter viewpoint to the official story about the development of East London’s Docklands. Credits: Video production - Jes Benstock, Penny Benstock, Kay Buxton, Mike Carter, Daniel Farnham, Dave Forbes, Andy Holt, Fiona Morrisey, Frank Muller, Donald Salmon; Poem - Alf Benning; B/W Footage - Frank Muller.
Builders & The Games (2012) - https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/748291325
A 57-minute film looking at the building of the London 2012 Olympic Park from the perspective of construction workers. Credits: Director - Margaret Dickinson; Interviewer - Dr Aletha Holborough; Subject Advice - Professor Linda Clarke.
Poem: Excellence, friendship and respect (2022) - https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/748294545
Cameron Holleran, Poet-in-Residence at UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity, created this work for the occasion of the ‘State of the Legacy’ conference, interrogating a decade of ‘Olympic Regeneration’ in East London. The work is accompanied by images of the Olympic Park’s periphery.
Presentations
State of the Legacy Review
Read or download the State of the Legacy Review
Session recordings
Session 01: Looking Back: Evolution of the Legacy Promise
Session 02: Delivering Legacy: Governance
Session 04: Prosperity: Jobs, training and workspaces
Blogs
Blog piece by Prof Eduardo Nobre, School of Architecture and Urbanism, University of São Paulo, Brazil, and author of Sports Mega-Events and Urban Legacies: the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil.
Blog piece by Gillian Chan and Rayhaan Lorgat, research assistants at UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity.
Photos
State of the Legacy conference photography (by Jacob Fairless-Nicholson)