Zaha Hadid's $2 Billion Tokyo Stadium Plans Scrapped

Japan has pulled the plug on an ambitious stadium plan, expected to cost $2 billion and designed by one of the world's most famous architects.

1 minute read

July 21, 2015, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"The Japanese government has scrapped controversial plans for a dramatic Zaha Hadid-designed $2bn (£1.3bn) stadium envisioned as the focal point of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, amid concern about rising costs and a growing public backlash," reports Owen Gibson.

Yoshirō Mori, chairman of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, "said he had taken the decision after being reassured that there was still time to draw up new plans and complete the new stadium, on the site of the existing national stadium, before the 2020 Olympics."

The decision to scrap the plans for the stadium also impacts the 2019 Rugby World Cup, scheduled to be played in the stadium. The article includes more details about the controversy inspired by the stadium's design in the architecture world.

Friday, July 17, 2015 in The Guardian

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.