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

Abstract

This paper draws on the example of the London

Adaptable design in Olympic construction

“…The importance of sustainable development and the environmental impacts of mega sporting events have commanded increasing political and media attention (Collins, Jones & Munday, 2009;Raco, 2015), ensued by an increasing pressure to ensure that sustainable developments meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations (World Commission on the Environment and Development, 1987, p.54). The rationale toward sustainable urban development is to optimise architectural and urban forms through planning and design (Harvey, 2014).…”

“…Repurposing, reusing, and even relocating are amongst the various strategies employed to secure a long-term legacy by adapting the infrastructure to incorporate new performance requirements and cope with the changing needs of owners and users. The erection of temporary facilities is a proven means not only of reducing the environmental impact of the Games but also of eliminating the long-term burden of maintenance or reducing maintenance costs to a tolerable level (Raco, 2015). Temporary constructions have been used in Olympic design but, despite removing the post-use burden of recurring maintenance costs and pollution, temporary buildings remain an economic and environmental encumbrance in terms of production, transport, erection, dismantling, and re-use or disposal (Meinel, 2001).…”

‘Eco’ For Whom? Envisioning Eco‐urbanism in the Sino‐Singapore Tianjin Eco‐city, China

“…In the context of China's real‐estate market, Chang and Sheppard () have highlighted how place marketing is crucial to the business case made for eco‐cities as investments in the era of ‘green capitalism'. Likewise, using the 2012 London Olympics as a case study, Raco () has explored the ways in which the incorporation of ‘sustainability' into new (eco‐)urban projects can––through the adoption of target‐focused governance arrangements––be presented as pragmatically non‐ideological, sidestepping the ‘political' in the development of new urban areas.…”

Convergence and divergence in conceptualising and planning the sustainable city: an introduction

“…They explore the role of international masterplanners (Elizabeth Rapoport) and building assessment models (James Faulconbridge) in the production and dissemination of globalised models of sustainable urbanism. They delve into new governance ideologies and managerial practices (Mike Raco) and new forms of ecological urban imagineering (C.P. Pow and Harvey Neo).…”