The legacy of the project has shown how a bigger vision for green infrastructure in a city like London can help to inspire regeneration and support other environmental markers such as meeting low carbon targets elsewhere too.
The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was the biggest urban park to be created in London since Victorian times, and it was a massive inspiration for those involved in work on regenerating other parts of east London. Since 2012, there are more new communities being planned and built, all of which offer housing, leisure and retail space for the area.
The park took more than four years to create, and the work included the demolition and then decontamination of over 2m tonnes of soil. From there, landscaped areas were created – a concourse, spectator lawns and individually landscaped areas like the London 2012 Gardens and Great British Garden. The Great British Garden was a feat in itself; it’s the largest wildflower meadow ever planted in the UK with more than 4,000 semi-mature trees.
The park certainly contributed to a change in public perception of what landscape architecture is. Not only did the park provide a place the UK could be proud of to showcase the Olympics but it also gave something back to the local community, a legacy that stretched further than the park itself which has gone on to influence a whole range of other landscape projects.
The long-term legacy of the Queen Elizabeth Park is a beautiful urban park which is rich in biodiversity and helps the community to reconnect with nature. This can only be a good thing; enhancing relaxation and mental wellbeing as well as giving people a place to go to improve their physical fitness and health.
The Olympic Park has a ‘Towards a 10-Year Landscape Management and Maintenance Plan’, which means that for every £1 the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) spent on venues, transport and infrastructure for the Olympic Games, 75p was spent on legacy.
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