LDA puts students at the heart of 2012 legacy benefits
Date: 21 November 2008
Students and academics are getting the chance to find out first hand how the legacy benefits of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are being secured.
The London Development Agency (LDA) and its legacy partners are offering students the unique opportunity to attend a series of lectures and workshops following a huge interest in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and its legacy.
Jason Prior from EDAW is guest speaker at the forthcoming lecture on Sustainable Legacy next week in which he poses the question: Can the post-Olympic development be the UK model for ‘sustainable’ city making, delivering a high quality built environment, whilst anticipating social needs and ambitions?
Each lecture explores a key legacy issue which include topics such as:
Employment and Skills: focusing on skills training, supporting and creating jobs and volunteering opportunities in the run up to the 2012 Games and in Legacy.
Sustainable Legacy: will explore Legacy in its widest possible sense including the physical, environmental and socio economic regeneration of east London. It begins with a discussion of community environment programmes from supporting recyclables to supporting the transport infrastructure on the local canal network and moves on to outline the plans for delivering the Legacy Masterplanning Framework (LMF) - a spatial plan for homes, parkland, schools, workspace, health and sporting facilities to be developed on the Olympic site after the 2012 Games.
Social and Cultural Change: focusing on how existing communities are being supported in their preparation for the regeneration the 2012 Games will bring. It will reflect on the community engagement and consultation that has been carried out to support the planning process as well as the sense of place that is being created with the input of local people. It is a lecture that asks as many questions as it answers, seeking reflection on the programmes that are being established and how they can be improved to capture the widest range of community.
The objective of these sessions is for the invited students and academics to take control and ask questions of the panel of experts. Upon registering for the event, students are asked to pose questions they would like discussed both in the body of the presentations and also in the breakout working groups. Each lecture is also chaired by a student to encourage maximum audience participation.
Two more themed lectures and workshops will be this week and another one in December at the University of Greenwich. Students can sign up to these lectures by clicking here.
LDA Group Director of Olympic Legacy, Tom Russell said:
“There has been a huge amount of interest amongst students in the Olympic project. We want to encourage them to be part of the legacy process. Through these lectures they are getting a unique and invaluable insight into the work of the LDA and the Olympic partners.
“The 2012 Games are a catalyst for regeneration work that will be built on for decades to come and I expect some of these students will be involved in future projects that have stemmed from the London Olympics.”
The lectures series focus on a range of topics including how the LDA is already running programmes such as Personal Best, Summer/Winter of Sport and the Opportunities Fund which support a skills and employment legacy.
Jason Prior from EDAW said:
“The Legacy Masterplan Framework is to deliver a world class model of urban regeneration which combines the best design, technology, environmental and social development to create a new piece of city, while satisfying the urgent requirements vital to the aspirations of the local communities.”
Gareth Smith, Head of Podium the Further and Higher Education Unit for the 2012 Games:
“Podium is delighted to be supporting the Legacy Now lecture series. The Games are of interest to both students and academics in Higher Education. Those attending the lectures, will undoubtedly relish the opportunity to discuss the 2012 Games with key figures from the LDA, ODA and LOCOG. Over the next four years we will be working closely with both Universities and Colleges to ensure that they make the most of all the opportunities created by London 2012.”
In October, around 60 students attended the first lecture about ‘an Employment and Skills Legacy’ at the University of East London. Key speakers included the LDA’s Head of Olympic Opportunity, Tom Travers, who talked about the role of the LDA in delivering a physical, social and economic legacy and the challenges that lay ahead.
Students who attended the lecture series in October explained why they attended the lecture series at the University of East London.
Johnny, 19, studying Journalism from Stratford
“I'm fascinated by the Olympics and glad it's happening in Stratford. I am pleased about the Olympics coming to Newham but wanted to find out if everything is really as organised as people say it is. It's really great that the LDA is hosting these lectures. It provides accountability and I particularly enjoyed the Q & A session.”
Sasha, 23, studying Events Management from Poplar.
“I came to this event to find out about employment opportunities for Graduates and to find out what kind of employment legacy is being planned for after the Games. I found the lecture series informative for someone interested in employment and skills possibilities at the Olympics, like me.”
Rohina, 20, studying Marketing from Stratford.
“I came to the event because it's happening in my community and it's important to get involved. I love living in Newham and I love the fact the Olympics is going to held right here, in my home town. Events like this raise awareness of what is actually going on right now.”
- Ends -
For media enquiries, please contact Sarita Bhatia at the LDA Media Team on 020 7593 8087; for public enquiries, please call 020 7593 9000; for out of hours media enquiries, please call 07977 439 371.
Notes to Editors
- The London Development Agency aims to improve the quality of life for all Londoners - working to create jobs, develop skills and promote economic growth.
- For more information about the LDA’s lecture series, visit and register interest online at www.legacynow.co.uk.
- The LDA is committed to delivering an Olympic legacy now. This includes helping Londoners access training, job, sporting and business opportunities through projects such as London Summer of Sport, Personal Best and CompeteFor. The LDA is also planning what will go on the Olympic site after the Games.
- Jason Prior, BA DipLA MLI is President of EDAW. As a practicing landscape architect and urban designer, Jason is president of EDAW and has been a principal and director of the firm for 13 years. He leads teams delivering integrated, broad based solutions for a variety of complex design and planning projects for both public and private sector clients. His experience includes the design and implementation of a number of high profile landscape, urban design and regeneration projects. Jason was one of the key consultants responsible for the development framework, detailed masterplan, and public realm strategy for Manchester City Centre following the 1996 IRA bombing. He led the team providing the Lower Lea Valley Regeneration Framework and Olympic and Legacy Masterplans that underpinned London’s bid for hosting the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. He is now leading the EDAW Consortium to develop the Olympic Park masterplan and initiate the design of the infrastructure elements. Jason is a member of the Landscape Institute and also a Commissioner for CABE Space.
