“The Olympics is bound to intensify competition for housing, especially with an expanding buy-to-rent sector hyping rents. Locals already squeezed between two of Europe's biggest business districts Docklands and the City of London are going to find themselves surrounded on all sides by intensive gentrification. It would be ironic if racial tension was engendered to deflect from class-based "yuppies out" hostility to the gentrification and privatisation of space in the East End that the "multicultural" London Olympics will presage.”
Eurozine | Related: Debate London: 2012 Wish List
3 Comments
wow - that is one huge, opinionated assasination. i don't disagree with everything, but do i detect a whiff of bitterness, possibly stemming from a failed swimming career? (you've got to make it to the end to find the reference)
i think it's important to have an infromed debate about the urban planning and social issues to do with regeneration in london though, and i'd like to read a comeback to this article. i'm sure it's not all doom and gloom...
I found it pretty easy to ignore the hyperbole. He brought some facts along with the attitude that mostly made up for it.
I'd also like to see a response to this article from the soon-to-be-assembled panel at the Tate. If you're going to be attending the event belle I'd be delighted to hear your take on it. Page may have a good grasp of the dynamics but I'm a little skeptical about the format of the "debate".
What I find most compelling though is how tight Rogers & Livingstone have become. Their fates & legacy appear to be tied now to the success or failure of the Olympics...
i'm attending the debate this friday: is london a united city, and hopefully this will have some bearing on the social impact of the olympics in east london.
i hope it will be genuine debate!
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