Steer is helping the City of Vancouver prepare to host a major upcoming international sporting event

This is an amazing opportunity to showcase what Vancouver has to offer, and we are using our expertise gained over decades of experience across transport, cities and sports and major events to make this event a success. 

Our strategic planning support will draw on extensive experience in fan behaviour, transit planning and mode share analysis across Europe and North America, as well as our detailed knowledge of the local context in Vancouver. 

Our team members have worked on high-profile events, including previous international soccer tournaments, multiple UEFA tournaments, Olympic and Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cups. In particular, Steer’s work on mobility planning for UEFA EURO 2020, the first European Championships to be held in 11 countries, demonstrates our ability to work across multiple geographies and time zones during one tournament.

We will combine this international experience with our knowledge of Vancouver. Members of our team have supported the City of Vancouver, other local municipalities and regional government agencies like TransLink and Metro Vancouver with transport planning projects over the past 15 years. We have been involved in several aspects of Transport 2050, Vancouver’s regional transport strategy, the historic quarter’s Gastown Complete Streets project, and a study examining the feasibility of an outdoor elevator connecting Granville Island to the Granville Street Bridge to improve multimodal access. 

The upcoming event will be a challenge. Complex and nuanced planning is required for international, regional, cross-city and last-kilometre journeys across modes as widely varied as aviation, train and shared micromobility. Unlike the previous host city, which had a dense public transport network and stadia built specifically for the event, this time, the event will take place across an entire continent, and Vancouver will use no new major infrastructure. Matches will be played at BC Place, but the tournament celebrations will spread across the city, including at Fan Fest locations that have the potential to draw tens of thousands of people. 

Our team will work with the City to ensure enough is done to manage fan movements efficiently and safely. Having supported a host of international tournaments in urban environments, we understand the practical and adaptive transit operations required as well as ‘soft’ measures such as transportation demand management (TDM) and other communication tools. 

We want spectators to get to the match on time and enjoy all that Vancouver has to offer while also supporting the local economy. As part of our support, Steer will be leading a team that includes Stantec, GHD, and Mobility Foresight to meet the challenges and ensure the event is a safe and enjoyable experience for all.

For more information, please get in touch with Geoff England and Reiner Kravis.