Sri Lanka’s bid for a better future

Hambantota has big hopes to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games – and in doing so, help transform this little-known Sri Lankan town into a thriving economic city of the future.

In November 2010, Steer Davies Gleave was asked to help plan Hambantota’s bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The first thing we did was find out where Hambantota was, and what kind of transport links it had. We quickly found out that there wasn’t much in this Sri Lankan town, and that what had been developed over recent years had sadly been swept away by the 2004 tsunami.

However Sri Lanka has a transformation plan for the District of Hambantota to become a major urban development – it has been marked to become one of Sri Lanka’s five future metro cities and a strategic hub for economic development, tourism growth and regeneration – and the bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games is seen as a unifying opportunity for the country.

The Governor of the Sri Lanka Central Bank compares the economic position of Malaysia when Kuala Lumpa hosted the Games and the growth and international branding that Sri Lanka is looking to achieve through bidding for and hosting the Games. Out of the 71 teams that participate, historically, only eight countires in the Commonwealth has ever hosted the Games with the African, Asian and Island nations hosting a very small proportion of them.

The challenge for the Sri Lanka bid is to demonstrate that Hambantota is not Delhi and that the transformation plan can be delivered on time. A number of major transport infrastructure schemes already underway will improve connectivity across the Hambantota District, Sri Lanka and internationally:

• The Southern Highway, due for completion in 2013, will connect the Southern Province to Colombo by road in less than three hours
• The $1.2 billion (£0.75m) Seaport, opened in April 2011 with the final phase to be completed by 2014
• The new Hambantota International Airport, opening in 2012, which will serve both domestic and international routes
• Extensive investment in rail, including a new rail line through the heart of the Southern Province, will integrate Hambantota within the improved national rail network 

Regionally, a substantial investmentprogramme is already underway, with 55km of brand new highway and upgrades to 297km of existing highways, ensuring that the region’s economic development is supported by fast, effective road links with increased capacity.

The Games will be focused around a centralised Games Park, a unique concept housing all but three of the Commonwealth sports within a 2km radius. Accommodation for the Commonwealth Games Family, media and team officials will be located on the perimeter of the Games Park and the clustered location of these sites means that minimum Games-time transport will be required, with the majority able to reach venues on foot through the pedestrianised Games Park.

The Games will be based on the use of public transport, building on the opportunity made available by historically low car use in Sri Lanka. Buses will form an integral part of the Games Transport strategy, using existing buses and the newly acquired fleet which will form part of the improved national bus service post-Games.

By fully utilising public transport, Hambantota’s Games will aim to create a legacy of future public transport use, forming long-term travel habits and showcasing the use of sustainable initiatives across Sri Lanka. Now that our work on the transport strategy and evaluation sessions is finished, all we can do is wait to find out, on 11th November 2011, whether the littleknown town of Hambantota would get the opportunity to shine on the big stage.