Introduction

Sustainable city‐building and the new politics of the possible: reflections on the governance of the London Olympics 2012

“…The decision to employ a private sector delivery manager is now presented as an important ‘lesson’ for sustainability planning elsewhere because it enabled ODA ‘to make use of a delivery partner with the right skills and experience to mobilise quickly and focus on delivering the project … tapping into the contractors’ established supply chains' (Wright et al . , 3). The emphasis is increasingly on ‘established’ and ‘quality’ contractors with proven track‐records of project delivery, a trend that inevitably leads to a filtering process in which those companies with high levels of reputational capital increasingly monopolise available spending.…”

“…Moreover, by ensuring that priority theme targets surrounding sustainability were built into contracts, the ‘ODA ensured its aspirations were aligned with those of the supply chain’ (Wright et al . , 3).…”