Brisbane 2032 precincts: lessons from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

As Brisbane prepares for the 2032 Games, the precinct build presents its own set of formidable planning challenges: balancing the fast-tracked delivery of world-class facilities and integrated precinct planning with the complex and diverse needs of a bustling inner-city site.

Victoria Park/Barrambin must accommodate not only sporting infrastructure and a tight construction timeline, but also ongoing community activity, transport integration, a large hospital precinct and the expectations of residents and businesses. It is a complex exercise ahead, all amid unprecedented transformation for the urban site.

In this context, looking to the construction experience of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium provides valuable guidance; its solutions for minimising disruption and fostering collaboration offer a practical blueprint for navigating the intricacies of major urban projects and holistic precinct master planning.

Finished in 2019, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is now a modern, multipurpose entertainment hub in North London. The challenge was immense: deliver a project of exceptional scale and ambition without letting disruption ripple through ongoing club operations or local community rhythms.

Major urban stadium builds like Tottenham Hotspurs require a delicate balance of competing priorities. The pressure to meet ambitious deadlines for a 62,000-seat sport and entertainment complex had to be balanced with the imperative to keeping business-as-usual running safely, ensuring that the needs of stakeholders, local businesses, and residents remained front and centre.

Additionally, there was a need to carefully manage new construction around the continued use of an existing 36,000-capacity Premier League venue and its game day fixture demands. Each construction milestone brought risks: supply chain hurdles, shifting traffic patterns, access for emergency services and safeguarding the day-to-day continuity for everyone who calls the area home.

GHD’s Movement Strategies team played a pivotal technical leadership role in the successful delivery of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, bringing advanced expertise in crowd modelling and simulation to the forefront of the project team.

Central to the approach was a data-driven design applied to operations. Engaged from the earliest stages by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club London, GHD’s services helped support the masterplanning, detailed design, construction, and operational phases, ensuring that the stadium’s complex requirements for crowd safety, comfort, and efficiency were addressed with precision and foresight.

The project team adopted proactive communication strategies, robust planning based on high-quality data, and adaptive scheduling to mitigate disruptions, ensuring that club events could proceed without significant disturbance and that the local area remained accessible and vibrant. This coordination balanced the rapid pace of construction with the consistent rhythm of urban life. The result is a model for future stadium builds in complex environments.

Phased construction and data-led decision making underpinned Tottenham’s success. Careful sequencing of works allowed neighbouring facilities to continue operating, minimising interruptions to matches and events. Investments and improvements in local transport, including new rolling stock and station upgrades, were aligned with stadium construction timelines.

Resilience planning guaranteed the ability to respond rapidly to unforeseen technical challenges. Early and ongoing coordination with authorities, transport operators and community groups established trust and resulted in issues being addressed prior to escalation occurring. The temporary relocation of matches to Wembley safeguarded club revenues, maintained fan engagement, and kept the competition schedule momentum steady. Every phase reflected a balance between analytical rigour and adaptive flexibility, principles that are now essential for modern infrastructure delivery.

Business-as-usual (BAU) management in major infrastructure projects like stadiums, is not a box-ticking exercise: it’s increasingly an ongoing test of leadership, analysis and bold decision-making amongst complex variables. Alongside elevated public attention, success demands more than just phased construction and generic stakeholder meetings; it calls for genuine engagement and a willingness to plan for the unexpected. Retaining old project models or rigid processes can lead to gridlock and spiralling costs.

The role of BAU continuity assurance cannot be under-estimated. The adoption of formal continuity management plans, including scenario planning and contingency protocols, to safeguard BAU activities for both the stadium operator and the surrounding precinct was critical in Tottenham. This included explicit strategies for maintaining essential services, emergency access, and minimising impacts on local businesses and residents during peak construction periods.

"When you begin with contingency planning, you build the agility needed to maintain continuity under pressure," said Simon Owen, Executive Advisor at GHD’s Movement Strategies.

Complexity is the new normal for stadium builds of this scale, according to Simon Owen.

"Success in overcoming these challenges will require organisations to leverage data-driven decision making and actively seek out innovative ideas and technical solutions,” he added. 

As construction of Brisbane’s Victoria Park/Barrambin Games precinct begins, the opportunity lies in moving beyond traditional planning methods and embracing complexity as a driver of innovation. This precinct has the potential to set a new benchmark for how cities plan, connect, and grow — transforming the 2032 Games legacy into a catalyst for long-term urban renewal.

Success in the lead-up to 2032 will depend on collaboration and adaptability. Genuine stakeholder engagement, data-driven decision-making, modular design approaches and robust contingency planning are no longer optional; they are essential for ensuring business continuity and delivering lasting social and economic value.

Those bold enough to rethink the planning playbook and remain agile will not only cross the finish line but also set new standards for seamless delivery in major infrastructure programs.