Stadium Envy

There is no doubt with the recent press releases across Saudi Arabia and Australia that there is an exploding stadium development boom. Albeit at this stage, like any first step, it is the roll out of CGI extravaganza to excite the industry.

In the Middle Eastern Kingdom, the past few weeks has seen Qiddiya’s cliff edge 45,000+ design, NEOM’s The Line embedded wonder and now ROSHN have entered the field with their latest press release. ROSHN is very much the odd one here and part of the reason for this article, but back to that soon.

In Australia, and in my home region of South East Queensland where Brisbane is to be the host of the 2032 Olympics, in the same week the design firm Aurecon presented their stadium on a river island with the best CGI renders that are on par with Saudi Arabia’s best.

Both countries are hosting major world sporting events with the Kingdom focusing on the Asian Cup in 2027 and the 2032 Asian Games, not doubt testing their appetite to host future Olympics.

I know people may scoff at the middle east hosting such events because of the summer heat but it’s not always hot. I have spent 15 years there creating places for these such conditions and Saudi Arabia is a very large and diverse country capable of catering for all these types of events. The only consideration is the timing, and why not have it in the cooler times, this will balance out why the southern hemisphere is always needing to change their routines for the rest of the world. So, to me it’s not a problem.

However, the question arises, once you build these extremely large and expensive assets will they continue to draw visitors after these events. This is the biggest issue facing countries (and cities) who have hosted world class event. The reason why some cities have lost interest in hosting, lost interest in raising enthusiasm, is because they fear the ‘white elephant’ syndrome of post event reality.

How do we over-come this? Some, build in post occupancy operations, usually with other sporting teams. This is a mixed bag, and highly relies on the fortune of the teams and fluctuations of the sports visibility and ultimately connection to patrons. Yes, it seems people are what keep things viable, and that is why placemaking strategies need to be developed at the same time as design and development of these stadiums, if they want to navigate the strong head winds of post event prosperity.

Most development leads in these regions that I have spoken too are savvy in this approach, they know the importance of placemaking in the success of developments as they have had to deal with this issue in project’s they recently delivered in their home countries. Yet, when in the kingdom it is believed it can be added on later, as the focus is purely about delivery at whatever cost. I find this is rather strange, as the cost of retro-fitting placemaking usually is way above and beyond the capacity of investment owners and their operators.

Stadium investors aren’t in it for the short term, they need confidence in the ability of the surrounding places to become magnets for post event success. Wembley Park is a recent good example of why focusing on a single asset such as a stadium requires significant investment of surrounding areas to ensure vitality and operational success.

This gets to the earlier point about ROSHN, for it is a residential developer trying to sprinkle in mixed use into its primary purpose. Tasked to deliver a stadium in southern Riyadh, one that is profitable after the event, will be difficult for a model for a company that doesn’t have a focus on placemaking first, with no mention of it on their website.

Their SEDRA flagship is hardly an inspirational place-orientated development when you compare it to the others, and adding shops, restaurants and other hospitality venues to a complex is the absolute minimum in attempting to create attachment to a place and then wanting people to return, if its only for events then its lifeless in other times, hardly a draw for investors.

Qiddiya is blending entertainment, sports and culture into its placemaking approach, providing a reason for residents and visitors to come back. The development of more compact activities and densities that support these activities has a chance to succeed and NEOM is following suit.

Getting density, activities and operations finely balanced is what placemaking does, it’s not design focused but people focused. Ensuring places are people centric, provides reason to visit and keep returning to become part of the experience, which only makes cities stronger. Bringing back confidence in investment and enthusiasm to take on the challenge of becoming an inspiration place for everyone.

This is why Brisbane is having trouble with stadiums, why it is trying to replicate the middle east. However, without a solid placemaking strategy all of its refurbishing old assets, creating new ones will not gain public enthusiasm, the public needs to embrace attachment value to place before focusing on investors love of CGI’s.

The sooner placemaking strategies are embedded into the development phase the easier it is to ensure its success.

Disclaimer: I was a former Executive Director Planning & Design for Qiddiya

NOTE: All images were sourced on publicly accessible websites