Stratford london 2012 - an area under change. Scope for green development.

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Stratford-An area for change

Stratford shopping centre

Water lane Road

Waddington Road

Gerry Raffles Square

2: I visited those places above to explore if my area is a sustainable community and find out what is needed in a development. In order to do that I have to create a questionnaire for public people to ask for their opinion about changes of Stratford, I took photographs to back up my points as well as note down the sustainability of those area and other useful information given by a talk from a representative of the Olympics 2012. Sustainability means proving long term needs for people and to make sure the environment is healthy so people would want to stay in the area. As I visited places I took pictures and gave each place a score out of 10, rating how densely the building is, building material, how water and energy being measured, transports, landscape, social mix, recreation, air pollution, recycling, economic opportunity and car parking.

3: Firstly, I went to Gerry Raffles Square building, which located behind Stratford shopping centre and to the north.

This building originally built for offices but then changed in to accommodation for local residents. Charles Dillon bought this area in the 1870s to set up a theatre then it later on became the Stratford Theatre Royal. The theatre was under threat with the construction of the shopping centre in 1970. Gerry Raffles managed to keep the area clean and redecorated it. After that building was built in the early 21st century, it was then chosen to name after him. This flat has 10 stories therefore it has high densities. Each storey has double glazing windows as well as blinds for blocking the sun. There is also a balcony but the view is not as nice as the shopping centre is right in front of it. The flat is made of metals, glass and bricks. I think inside is not as spacious because those rooms were used as offices. Balconies are almost touching each other. The maximum bedrooms are 2. By looking from the outside of the building I noticed that there is no staircases in sight like other flat, tenants have to use lifts. There is no recycling bin around and not a lot of plants around to reduce pollution. 80 metres away from Gerry Raffle Square, there is a parking area. It is free to park for residents but you have to pay at certain time. Despite all the disadvantages though, it is built in a good location. There is Stratford train station which is 5 minutes walk and later there will be an international train express. Furthermore there is an excellent bus routes near the accommodation. There is a cinema right next to it and Stratford Circus plus a theatre. Underneath the flats are two restaurants, Caribbean and Chinese selling international food. On top of that, it is adjacent to the shopping centre with loads of shops. Residents can shop in Sainsbury for food or Morrisons. For young children, there is a library and Stratford park, 3 minutes on the bus. Numbers of jobs are available in the area but people do not have enough skill to do that. Majority are on benefits. In the future, it is going to cost them a lot more to live in Gerry Raffles Square because of the Olympics 2012. I collected my data by using my list of sustainable scorecard, observation skills and comments as well as resources I found on the internet.

Secondly I walked to Waddington Road and had a look at the accommodation for older people, Holden Point. The area looked rather old and quiet. There were two recycling bins, a parking space for disabled people who live in Holden Point as well as paying parking facility for local residents. There is a small recreation ground for young kids. There is also a church nearby with an art centre not too far away from it. Atherton leisure centre is about 15 minutes away from this road. It is good if you want to relax and exercise to improve your health. This area is quite green because it has a lot of trees and bushes to make the air clean and smell fresh. The main type of houses on this road is maisonette, flats and houses with chimneys. Buildings built from bricks with wooden doors as well as PVC windows. Holden Point has 21 floors. There is no bus stop within 80 metres radius. You have to walk to the main road to get the 69 or to Maryland Station and walking to the shopping centre would take 10 minutes on foot. There is a limit of social mix; the main people that live here are elderly. There are a few jobs opportunity in the shopping centre or in the pubs. Personally I do not find it safe to walk around in this part at night time as there are a lot of hidden places and alleys. Next to the building there are old garages, by looking at the chipping doors and wood. I reckon they were built in the 60s or 70s. Holden Point uses meters on each dwelling to measure how much electricity they use.

Thirdly, Water lane Road was the last place I visited. It is a main road with houses on display. This region has medium densities with mainly townhouses (picture) and some terraces. The materials that were used in these buildings are mixture of bricks, PVC double glazing windows and doors. Including slate for the roof. This area measures their electricity in meters and there are pipes under the ground for water. It is not 100% safe for kids to be playing out on this road as they could get run over by cars. Maryland Station is right next to it therefore tenants are affected by noise and car pollution. Additionally, the access to recycling point is very poor; however tenants can still use recycling bags and place them in front of their house for dustbin man to collect it. Transport is not exactly good as there are only three buses that go by. Often takes long to wait too. The train station is good but there is no barrier therefore people can use the facility without paying. Trees are not planted on this road. There are more trees on small streets than the main road. The recreation grounds are very limited. Atherton leisure centre is close by and a library. They are probably the only local clubs for young adults. However it is very easy for adults to go shopping as it would only take 5 minutes. The shopping centre is also in the area. Since it is in Stratford, there are wide variety of jobs opportunities available in Reed but people are not qualified enough to take on the jobs. Parking space is very limited because I saw a ticket machine. It is a challenging area for disabled people because it is difficult for them to find a place to park on road. I believe these houses were built in the 1970s because they look quite old and the materials are not modern.
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4: This is the Olympics Village under construction. I took this picture when I was on the top floor of Holden Point. The government decided to build it in Stratford because it is one of the poorest parts of this capital city. Their aim is to raise the economic profile of London. Stratford has great transport links, from national rail services to international station, which is being built. It is near major roads that lead to central London as well as Excel exhibition centre. After the game, we are entitled to use all the facilities there or even ...

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