London urged to plan on basis of Olympic victory
Two leading thinktanks have urged London to assume that it has won its bid for the 2012 Olympics – and start planning now.
The ippr and Demos warn that unless planning starts now, London “risks following previous host cities in struggling to ensure there is a lasting legacy to the Games”.
Their new report, entitled “After the Gold Rush”, argues that most previous host cities have been “fixated” on building iconic buildings and lacked a comprehensive pre-Games legacy strategy.
It argues that in order to ensure lasting benefits a “significant amount” of any legacy should be delivered before the Games are held, warning that in previous summer Games, benefits have not been shared by the people and places most in need. The researchers note that in Atlanta 1996 house prices rocketed and few new homes were built, and in Sydney 2000 facilities are struggling to find a post Games use.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has made much of the bid’s plans to regenerate the east of London and build affordable housing, and has stressed that money has been set aside to ensure that newly built facilities remain in use.
Demos researcher, Melissa Mean, said: “A common Olympic disease is ‘white elephantitis’. It looks like London 2012 have taken the necessary precautions against this, but a sustainable legacy must mean more than just avoiding building facilities that have no post-Games use. The UK has the chance to think creatively about the positive social, cultural, environmental and employment value of the Games- something that should make its bid a winner in the eyes of the IOC and the local community in the years to come.”
Ippr fellow, Anthony Vigor, warned that: “Claims about the long-term benefits of Olympic Games made by previous host cities, often do not stand up to scrutiny. By working together from the outset, all those involved have a real opportunity to create a sustainable Olympic legacy for the UK.”
The thinktanks suggests a number of policies which could be implemented now to ensure a legacy for the Games. These include establishing an Olympic Employment Taskforce to match employers’ needs with unemployed people and anticipate skill shortages, creating an Olympic Volunteer Army to help in the run up to the Games and promoting walking and cycling strategies in the boroughs surrounding the Games area.
London will formally submit its final bid to the IOC on November 15th, with inspectors due to visit the city in February to assess the bid. The final decision on the host city will be made on July 6th. Other front runners include Paris and New York.
