Scalar Politics: Sustainability planning under Localism and the delivery of London's Olympic legacy
type: CreativeWork
description: Abstract Scalar politics: Sustainability planning under Localism and the delivery of London’s Olympic legacy Andrew Hoolachan This thesis seeks to address a research gap concerning the relationship between the Localism Act 2011 and planning’s central purpose of achieving sustainable development. In addition it uses a physical example in urban space to illustrate the main arguments, and in doing so adds to the growing literature on the various outcomes since the Localism Act was enforced across England in 2011. The thesis asks four inter-related questions: Firstly, regarding the theoretical bases of sustainability and localism from the various ontologies of ‘scale’ and ‘the natural’; secondly, regarding the general conflicting assumptions within localism and sustainable development; thirdly, regarding the ways in which sustainable development is inherently multi-scalar; and lastly how our case study example highlights the need for policy-makers to examine the often overlooked trade-offs which exist in normative sustainable development models. The thesis also demonstrates the role that site-specific research can play in grounding theoretical and policy discussions. The research is situated in the rapidly changing sub-region of East London, particularly in the shadow of the 2012 Olympic regeneration of Stratford and the Borough of Newham. We take the example of a failed upgrade due the Localism Act, of a multi-scalar and multi-functional ‘Greenway’ to consider the relationship between localism and sustainable urbanism in the context neo-liberalism. Methods comprise site-based analysis in the form of walking, photography and note-taking, the analysis of national, metropolitan and local planning documents, as well as interviews with officials related to policy and design in the area and local residents. The research finds that national and metropolitan conceptions of sustainable development are weighted differently to those at local scales. In addition the Localism Act e…
abstract: Abstract Scalar politics: Sustainability planning under Localism and the delivery of London’s Olympic legacy Andrew Hoolachan This thesis seeks to address a research gap concerning the relationship between the Localism Act 2011 and planning’s central purpose of achieving sustainable development. In addition it uses a physical example in urban space to illustrate the main arguments, and in doing so adds to the growing literature on the various outcomes since the Localism Act was enforced across England in 2011. The thesis asks four inter-related questions: Firstly, regarding the theoretical bases of sustainability and localism from the various ontologies of ‘scale’ and ‘the natural’; secondly, regarding the general conflicting assumptions within localism and sustainable development; thirdly, regarding the ways in which sustainable development is inherently multi-scalar; and lastly how our case study example highlights the need for policy-makers to examine the often overlooked trade-offs which exist in normative sustainable development models. The thesis also demonstrates the role that site-specific research can play in grounding theoretical and policy discussions. The research is situated in the rapidly changing sub-region of East London, particularly in the shadow of the 2012 Olympic regeneration of Stratford and the Borough of Newham. We take the example of a failed upgrade due the Localism Act, of a multi-scalar and multi-functional ‘Greenway’ to consider the relationship between localism and sustainable urbanism in the context neo-liberalism. Methods comprise site-based analysis in the form of walking, photography and note-taking, the analysis of national, metropolitan and local planning documents, as well as interviews with officials related to policy and design in the area and local residents. The research finds that national and metropolitan conceptions of sustainable development are weighted differently to those at local scales. In addition the Localism Act e…
author: Hoolachan, Andrew
language: en
keywords: urban, planning, sustainability, london, olympics, 2012, localism, scale, nature, urban development, governance, planning policy, UK policy, UK urban policy, urban planning, photography, walking, policy analysis, climate change, greenway, olympic park
license: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/a791d0ab-d2db-409f-909d-15af8f7bd7fd/download
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
date published: 2017-11-17
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:33:25Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.15619