KEY STAGE 3 GEOGRAPHY
A green and sustainable legacy
Enquiry question: Did the 2012 Olympics provide east London with a green and sustainable legacy?
Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding
- The London 2012 Olympics promised to be the ‘greenest’ Games ever
- The urban environments can promote good, or bad, mental and physical health
- Urban environments can vary in quality within a very short distance
- The Queen Elizabeth Park has transformed the urban environment
Geographical skills
- Interview members of the public
- Annotate photographs
- Analyse different locations for their impact on well-being
- Evaluate information from a range of sources
Learning outcomes
Most students will be able to:
- Understand the background to the London 2012 Olympics and the subsequent regeneration of this part of east London
- Place the concept of sustainability for individual buildings and the whole Olympic Park within the wider context of environmental concerns over global warming
- Identify features of an urban environment that contribute to good mental and physical health
- Identify features of a building that help to make it sustainable
- Carry out a questionnaire with members of the public
Pre-visit recommendation
Students should:
- Watch a video of the changes that have happened in Stratford in the 21st century
- Read about the essential features of sustainable cities
Resources
YouTube video: Time-lapse footage of development around London’s Olympic Park since 2014
Website resource: Oxfam – five essentail features of sustaiable cities and eco-cities
Introduction
Meet at Stratford International station. Show students a large wall map to outline the locations they will visit during the day. Ask them what are the essentials for a healthy, sustainable life.
Resources
Olympic Park wall map
Fieldwork
Location 1: Stratford E15 Walk through Westfield and Stratford Centre to an area of old Victorian housing. Students complete a healthy environment survey.
Location 2: Carpenters Estate E15 Walk to through Stratford to the estate. Repeat healthy environment survey.
Location 3: Aquatic Centre Walk to the centre in the Olympic Park. Carry out a population survey of people using the centre. Annotate photo to show the sustainable features of the centre.
Location 4: Main park entrance Carry out a survey to find out where people came from and how they travelled.
Location 5: Olympic Park Walk through the park, observing features and labelling them on a map. Visit an exhibition about sustainable energy at the Energy Centre.
Location 6: Velodrome Continue walking through the park, observing features, to the Velodrome for lunch. After lunch, annotate photo to show sustainable features of the Velodrome.
Location 7: Olympic rings viewpoint Walk to the viewpoint to sketch the view, annotating sustainable features.
Location 8: East Village E20 Walk to East Village (former Athletes Village) and walk around, observing the sustainable features. Students complete at least two more healthy environment surveys in E20.
Resources
Sheet 1: Healthy Environment Survey x2
Sheet 2: Who uses this facility?
Sheet 3: Sustainable features of the Aquatic Centre
Sheet 4: Olympic Park user survey
Sheet 5: Olympic Park map
Interactive model of a combined heat and power system
Sheet 6: Sustainable features of the Velodrome
Sheet 1: Healthy Environment Survey x2
Plenary
Students discuss factors they have seen which make for a healthy urban environment. What factors affect mental and physical well-being? What differences are there between E15 and E20? How has the QE Park been designed to promote well-being and sustainability?
Resources
Sheet 7: Factors for a healthy environment
