Ad-hoc urbanism: Hackney Wick and Fish Island

This article explores how Hackney Wick and Fish Island, a post-industrial area of East London, responded to the pressures of the 2012 Olympics through what the author calls "ad hoc urbanism" - a combination of grassroots creative activity, temporary art commissions, community festivals, and formal public realm improvements. Rather than being simply demolished or gentrified, the neighbourhood developed a layered, flexible identity that balanced inevitable change with community resilience. The author, a long-term resident, ultimately asks whether this creative energy can sustain the area long after the Games have ended.