Urban areas in the UK have experienced significant change and face many opportunities and challenges, including regeneration and urban sustainability.
After the closure of many of London’s docks in the 1960s, thousands of people lost their jobs. People left the area to look for jobs elsewhere. Between 1981 and 1998, the London Docklands underwent urban regeneration and continues to improve to this day. Canary Wharf is a part of the London Docklands where expensive apartments, exclusive shops and large company head offices are now found.
Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley lies to the north of the London Docklands. It had one of the most deprived communities in the country, where unemployment was high and levels of health were poor. There was a lack of infrastructure and the environmental quality was poor. The 2012 London Olympics bid was partly successful on the understanding that Stratford would be used during the games and regenerated for local people to use after the competitors had left. After the Olympic Games were over, the park was named the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.