The success of the 2012 Olympics in London likely won't be evident until after the event, which is seeking to repurpose a down-and-out part of town into a new neighborhood.
The London Evening Standard's Kieran Long talks with Eleanor Fawcett, head of design for the Olympic Park Legacy Company, which is leading the development process.
"'We are charged with making a new bit of city, like a great estate, and you make decisions based on a 50-year horizon rather than a five-year one,' she says. Throughout our conversation she flits between amusement at some of the management speak that infects organisations such as the OPLC, and a patient earnestness about the effects of good urban design. In referring to the great estate, she makes an analogy between the task of developing the Olympic Park with the large-scale development of London that happened at the end of the 18th and start of the 19th centuries, when the Grosvenor, Portman and Bedford Estates (among others) were filled with some of London's most beautiful housing. That legacy endures today as some of the best (and most expensive) parts of London to live in. This might seem like a retrograde vision but Fawcett, who is funny and sharp with an ironic sense of humour, is part of a new generation of architects interested not in futuristic shapes and utopian dreams but in the lessons of how our city has developed."
FULL STORY: Queen of the East: Olympics head of design shares her vision

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie