Stratford - Urban renewal
Urban development
978-3-14-100890-6 | Page 87 | Ill. 3
Overview
Stratford is a borough in East London and is part of the Borough of Newham. It is situated about eight kilometres from the city centre and a trip takes about 30 minutes by underground.
From the late 1970s onwards, the development of disadvantaged parts of London became an increasing focus.
Urban redevelopment in Stratford
The "London Plan" of 2004 had the declared aim of improving the housing situation and stimulating economic growth through the redevelopment of existing buildings and the revitalisation of former commercial and industrial sites. The Olympic Park in Stratford, the venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was one of these projects, built on a brownfield site. The district was mainly used for transport, industry, and commerce. These include, for example, a freight station, container terminal in the industrial and trading zone. Afterwards, the urban development of a new city district with around 8,000 flats and all the necessary infrastructure facilities began. The population of Stratford more than doubled in the course of the Olympic project - this illustrates the extent of the changes. The newly built Stratford International Station opened in 2009.
The Olympic Village was planned to be a site for permanent affordable housing after the Olympic Games. Because the city is growing and needs new housing, the new "East Village" is one of the 20 "housing zones" that London has designated. About half of the flats in the East Village are reserved as social housing for households with comparatively low incomes. Although many people already live in the new residential area, construction is still going on, for example on a 42-storey tower block with about 250 flats next to the railway station. To the south is Westfield Stratford City, one of the largest shopping centres in Europe and a major employer with around 300 shops, 70 restaurants, 17 cinemas and 10,000 employees. Between the centre and the Olympic Stadium, the "International Quarter" is currently being built with about one million square metres of office space; 25,000 new jobs are to be created here. The quarter, which was previously enclosed by motorways, has been connected to the city and the surrounding area by long-distance, underground, and suburban railways. Many commuters benefit from this, but the improved access has caused rents and property prices in the previously poor Stratford area to rise sharply.
