The Olympic Games have always been a good excuse for urban regeneration. But Ken Livingstone ‘s ‘Green Compact’, makes the environment (rather than sporting excellence, superb architecture, or ambitious infrastructure) the main consideration. Local nimbys have jumped on the sustainability agenda and thousands have even signed a petition to make a field of allotments one of the Olympic site’s central attractions.
London is one of the few places that can really be called a ‘world city’, but how will such political considerations affect our ability to transform the city for a global sports event? Is London 2012 no more than a ‘bog-standard’ urban regeneration scheme? Do we stand a sporting chance of getting the investment and political will needed to change the city ambitiously? What lasting legacy will the Olympics leave for London?
 | Michael Owens director, Michael Owens Associates; associate, SMART URBANISM; formerly, head of development policy, London Development Agency |
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 | James Woudhuysen professor of forecasting and innovation, De Montfort University; co-author, Energise! A future for energy innovation |
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| Chair: | |
 | Vicky Richardson editor, Blueprint |
| Vicky Richardson editor, Blueprint | |
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 | recommended by spiked |
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