Inside London's Olympic Park

The park will offer new connections between parts of town hardly linked before, and new public space and wetlands.

"As for the park itself, it'll be in the idiom of our century, a slightly Tellytubby-ish landscape that is organic rather than romantic but never escaping the appearance of something utterly man-made. It is nothing like any park you know in London, our beloved royal parks with their formal axes, romantic follies and large open spaces perfect for a kickaround or picnic. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be an artfully wild world of wetland vegetation and tree-covered hillocks, all arranged around the River Lea's meandering course through the site. One of the main differences is the topography; paths ascend and descend, weaving closer to the river, and then back up to the higher levels of the venues themselves. The preponderance of paths makes it feel like a place for promenading rather than lingering, and that may make for a nice atmosphere, although the apparent lack of places to sit down and read a book is a little strange."