It was a period of great change in East London. Stratford City was beginning to take shape and was likely to be the most significant development in London over the next 10 years. Decisions were being made which would affect millions and a group of young people came together to make sure their views were heard. Tired of a world normally dictated by the opinions of adults, these teenagers made a film exploring the things they liked and the things they would change about their area. It is the first time they had attempted such a project.
The opening of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link station at Stratford and the surrounding rail lands offered an unparalleled opportunity for East London. Stratford City proposals would regenerate the area bringing over 30,000 new jobs and business opportunities, new shops, new housing as well as schools, health centres and community facilities, on a scale not seen in London before. Creating Stratford City provided the opportunity to bring together many diverse communities - those that already existed in Stratford, those that would be brought to the area by new development, those that would be connected by new transport links. The new Stratford would be both international and intensely local.
Little Stratford Big Stratford is a film based on an exploration of the area. The Architecture Foundation, Stratford City, Yeast Productions and young members of the community created a film that identified and revealed the existing Stratford and overlayed the desires of what the new Stratford would be like.
The film represented Phase 1 of Stratford Pride - an ambitious programme of community engagement in the shaping of Stratford's new public realm. Initiated through a partnership between the Architecture Foundation and Stratford City, Stratford Pride provided a structured framework of activities that allowed a two-way process of education and dialogue to emerge over time between the community of Stratford and the design and development team.
DVDs are available to purchase from The Architecture Foundation for £10. DVDs contain the 15 minute film and a 10 minute "The making of...". Please see www.yeastproductions.org.uk for more information.
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