London Olympic Legacy Framework - Key Takeaways

From the case study to the Olympic park of the 2012 Olympic Games in London several takeaways can be listed out to in order to plan a holistic framework for the Olympic legacy.

- The first take away, is to position the park as catalyst for city development. By positioning it in proximity of a social-economic neighbourhood, the Olympic Games can raise the standards for living of nearby inhabitants, but also creating a very interesting living and work environment for others.

- To emphasise public transportation and slow traffic as the primary modes of transportation during the Olympic Games, as this can expand transportation options. This can minimise the number of people per transportation option, reducing the size of infrastructure projects. Following that, it will provide more environmentally friendly transportation options to those near the Olympic venue.

- To use the environmental context as a unique design quality to enrich the image and identity of the Olympic site. In this way it will encompass more qualities after the event and is much more relatable to the residents of the host-city as the identity of the place is still captured within the design.

- The final takeaway, is to to expand the extent of the Olympic park’s development borders and to extend the good impact of the Olympic design interventions beyond the controlled development border by organising smaller related events and enhancing public space, creating walkways and info stands.

All of these efforts ensure that the Games are not only a one-time financial boost, but have the potential to boost the entire city district towards betterment.

Precedent Study

B. Chengdu Tianfu Olympic Sports City, China

In 2016, after the construction of the Tianfu International Airport in Chengdu, the city sought to establish an Aerotropolis and thrived to position itself as an important pivot city in China.

In 2018, the city’s development goal was to have a world city of sporting events. With the Aerotropolis project being a key driving force, 86 square km land in city’s hi-tech industrial zone was allocated to develop a sports city and an investment of about 26 billion was made and sasaki’s conceptual proposal was chosen and taken forward.

The entire sports city which is of 86 square kilometers is organized into three primary districts: the 34 km2 Danjing Mountain : Sports Park, the 12 km2 Central Urban District, and the 40 km2 Sancha Lake : Water Sports Park.

And their overall framework follows 6 core principles: Image from the air, integrated programs, stream or lowland network, local culture, urban thermal comfort and full spectrum fabric. The plan integrates a variety of urban functions and activities, all served by a robust, multi-modal transportation system. The lake loop road is also ideal for events such as marathons and bicycle circuits.

All this, together with an Olympic-inspired 5-color ribbon walk forms the sports axis of the city. When there are no ongoing sporting events, Tianfu Olympic City will be activating itself by emphasizing the integration of these event spaces alongside public recreation and research.

Core Principles 06

Learnings from Case studies

Tianfu Olympic Sports City - Key Takeaways

While the Tianfu Sports city, aims at creating a framework for a much more larger site area, the values and principlesconsidered and certain design interventions were of great learning experience. Some basic yet strong takeaways from the studied project :

Physical Environment Identity

IMPROVE AND INTEGRATE

Create new/ better connections

Remove barriers to access

Enhance/create green infrastructure

Facilities

ACTIVATE AND CONNECT ENHANCE AND CREATE

Pedestrian infrastructure

Create trails of specific purposes to enhance the user experience appreciating the rich - ecological set up

Intergrate local activites

Create Infrastructure that support multiple uses

Create view-point facilties, community centres and interactive public spaces.

Vision

Conceptual Framework for The Urban Green Commons

To strike a balace between the Olympic driven legacy development, and the ecological assets of the neighbourhood, high ambitions for the utilization of the potential found on the site and the creative re-use of its legacy built structures as anchor points for a far-reaching development process, is paramount.

Transformation of the Olympic site into a healthy neighborhood, capturing the value of the rejuvenated land and ecology, to activate and connect the strategic site of Motera and the Sabarmati Riverfront, and re-establish the position of the neighborhood within the city by leveraging the cultural and built assets offered by the Olympic event.

Strategic Goals

Approach towards the framework

The conceptual framework proposed three strategic goals that would help the city, plan and implement the post Olympic legacy development in an integrated manner. The goals addresses themes that are significant in bringing about a holistic approach towards achieving the envisioned transformation

Facilitating Connectedness

The drive for connectedness emphasises how the resilience of open public space systems encourages the improvement of communal, ecological, and cultural aspects.

Nurturing Health And Resilience

The ambition for health asserts that ecological systems and resilience go together with quality spaces for activities and recreation.

Fostering Culture And Identity

The ambition for fostering culture and identity emphasizes creativity in the use of green assets , as the foundation for spaces and programmes that ideate its context and people’s relationship to it.

Framework for Envisioned Transformation

Strategic Goals

Goal 1 : Facilitating Connectedness

Goal 2 : Nurturing Health & Resilience

Goal 3 : Fostering Culture & Identity

Ecology

Accessibility

Recreation

Overarching Principles