Great city will start to look even better

London is being urged to use the Olympics to give its public spaces and landmark buildings a major facelift.

Many schemes are under way, from the Wembley and Arsenal football stadiums to regeneration of King's Cross, which will include hundreds of new homes, businesses and open spaces.

But a new report today reveals that 40 developments are proposed or in progress that will radically alter the city's public face.

It was launched at the Wellington Arch, which is being floodlit with London 2012 logos to mark next week's visit of Olympic chiefs to assess the capital's bid.

Key elements include transforming the Euston Road to create a safer pedestrian area through imaginative lighting and landscaping and creating a "Nash Ramblas" similar to Las Ramblas in Barcelona. A vision of architect Sir Terry Farrell, it will link the famous Nash terraces from Regent's Park to Oxford Circus.

The report, by English Heritage and the Royal Institute of British Architects, highlights progress - and calls for more schemes to get under way.

It says that London offers an "unrivalled" setting for the Games, with historic buildings such as the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London. Regent's Park, Hyde Park and Greenwich Park would host events in addition to a new Olympic village in Stratford.

But winning the right to host the Games would act as a "catalyst for the regeneration of areas" such as the Lower Lea Valley, the report says. Entitled Capital Spaces - Transforming London, it urges local authorities to draw up plans to integrate historic landscapes with new developments. It also suggests the formation of a London Urban Space Commission to improve and develop areas for work and leisure.

Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: "London is a great global city and its rich historic environment and cultural heritage make it the strongest contender for hosting the 2012 Olympics.

"Over the next 10 years, London will be reinvigorated with revitalised historic places [and] high-quality new development."

The report says that the focus of London is "shifting eastwards" with the changes in the East End and proposals for 120,000 more homes in the Thames Gateway.