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Visibilities and Invisibilities in Urban Development: Small Business Communities and the London Olympics 2012

Author

Listed:
  • Mike Raco

    (Department of Geography, King's College London, The Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK, mike.raco@kcl.ac.uk)

  • Emma Tunney

    (Department of Geography, King's College London, The Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK, emmatunney@yahoo.co.uk)

Abstract

The principal stated rationale for bringing the 2012 Olympic Games to London was that it represented a once in a generation opportunity to regenerate the city’s East End. And yet, its arrival opens up questions over how problem places within cities are characterised and how selective and power-infused visualisations shape the form and character of urban policy interventions. This paper draws on research conducted on a community of over 200 small businesses that existed on the proposed Olympic Village site in east London before they were evicted in the summer of 2007. It documents the effects of the regeneration on their competitiveness and explores the highly circumscribed politics of contestation that emerged. Collectively, it argues that there should be a greater policy and academic concern with the less visible and ‘spectacular’ elements of cities and communities who cannot easily be seen, but are vital to urban vibrancy, diversity and sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Mike Raco & Emma Tunney, 2010. "Visibilities and Invisibilities in Urban Development: Small Business Communities and the London Olympics 2012," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(10), pages 2069-2091, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:47:y:2010:i:10:p:2069-2091
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098009357351
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Allan Cochrane & Jamie Peck & Adam Tickell, 1996. "Manchester Plays Games: Exploring the Local Politics of Globalisation," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 33(8), pages 1319-1336, October.
    2. Robert Blackburn & Monder Ram, 2006. "Fix or fixation? The contributions and limitations of entrepreneurship and small firms to combating social exclusion," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 73-89, January.
    3. Jamie Peck, 2005. "Struggling with the Creative Class," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 740-770, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. John Allen & Allan Cochrane, 2014. "The Urban Unbound: London's Politics and the 2012 Olympic Games," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1609-1624, September.
    2. Mike Raco, 2014. "Delivering Flagship Projects in an Era of Regulatory Capitalism: State-led Privatization and the London Olympics 2012," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 176-197, January.
    3. Pappalepore, Ilaria & Duignan, Michael B., 2016. "The London 2012 cultural programme: A consideration of Olympic impacts and legacies for small creative organisations in east London," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 344-355.

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