London Games

The most striking aspect of the Olympic development is the increased inaccessibility of the area. A ‘funnelling’ strategy has emerged, encouraging visitors to follow the designated routes of impressive new pedestrian concourses, directed towards the newly-polished areas. One wrong turn and you come face to face with the old Hackney, which although special in its own way, is an area of London that has needed money and rejuvenation for many years. There is a false aestheticism in the vicinity of the Olympic arena, as if quickly removing the very worst of the dereliction improves the whole area.

This inaccessibility is enforced with towering wire fences encircling anything related to the Olympics, making it feel as though members of the public are not welcome to view the as yet unfinished construction. Security personnel try to stop photography.

The Olympics are seen as a way to promote Britain as a strong and able nation. There have been promises that the Olympics will bring prosperity to East London, with more jobs and opportunities to its inhabitants.
But rising house prices, due in part to the Olympics, could force many local people out of the area, including artists who have helped make it a vibrant cultural hub. This vibrancy could instead be replaced with the banal consumerism of expensive new tower blocks and colossal shopping centres, such as Westfield.

For now at least we cannot predict what affects the Olympics will inevitably have on East London, and for this reason the project will be continued over the coming years.