London Worries About East End Legacy of 'Middle Class Ghettos'

Without proper planning, redevelopment in London's East End for the Olympics could create a middle class ghetto after the event, warns the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s design head, Ricky Burdett.

Speaking during a public debate on the Olympic Park after 2012, Burdett warned that 30 years of investment in east London had done little to raise its socio-economic profile and that unless the Olympic Park was stitched into its setting, little would change beyond the park’s perimeter.

He said: “I am reminded by major urban developments of the last 60 years that have become nightmares that any large-scale intervention like this could do something very negative.

“The worst thing it could do is create a massive ghetto of people who are different from those who are there.”

Ricky Burdett warns against Olympic middle-class ghetto
Building Design
October 11, 2010

Durban's Beachfront Makeover

The city of Durban is pushing forward with a 100 million Rand (~$12.8 million) project to improve access to the beach and expand beachfront activities and businesses, according to Julie-May Ellingson, head of strategic projects and 2010 planning at the eThekwini Municipality.

Ellingson said the city's vision was to link the harbour mouth with Blue Lagoon via a R75-million promenade.

"We have 8km of amazing shoreline and we must use it to its full potential. For that we need a decent promenade with activity nodes about every 300m all the way along."

In line with the plan the city has already demolished the Snake Park and Ocean Conference Centre, and plans are afoot to refurbish the Rachel Finlayson Pool and the historical South Beach change rooms.

Makeover for Golden Mile
The Mercury
July 29, 2009