Some people, thoughtful and well intentioned, were worried about the scale of landscape change that was unleashed on East London for the Olympics. Whilst understanding their concerns Selina Mason, the person responsible for the delivery of the Olympic masterplan, found herself drawing on her study of Rome for reassurance. The Roman way of re-casting landscape became inspirational to her and the design team as they made a place for a new era of the city; much as centuries of Roman placemakers had done- shifting the monuments of the landscape to suit a new future for the city.

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