Sustaining a legacy – from Sydney 2000's environmental guidelines to the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012

Abstract

The so-called Green Olympic movement had its origins in one of the five winning designs for the Sydney Olympic Village by two architects associated with Greenpeace Australia. This led to the development of a set of Environmental Guidelines for the Summer Olympic Games. The Sydney Olympics provided a benchmark for sustainable design and construction in Australia and also a template for future Games. London's successful bid for the 2012 Games took these principles further with a focus on legacy as its core mission. A comprehensive London 2012 Sustainability Plan was developed. The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 was established to provide on-going independent sustainability assurance of all aspects of Games developments, the event itself and the legacy transformation of the Olympic Park. This paper explores the evolution of environmental and sustainability concerns in the Olympic movement and how these have altered the staging of the Games and the associated physical developments. It examines whether the lessons from the Sydney and London Olympics can be more widely applied in urban renewal and regeneration schemes in both Australia and the UK.