Charting a path forward: Key factors in applying sustainability to infrastructure

Abstract

With the ratification of the Paris Agreement at last year’s COP 21 and a growing awareness that climate change poses a significant threat to business and society, regenerative communities and the methods and practices used to develop them are starting to take centre stage. Cities all over the world are facing an important crossroads; the challenges our cities and communities face, particularly when it comes to sustainable infrastructure, have never been more serious. For example, between 2013 and 2030 it is estimated that US $57tn will need to be invested in infrastructure in order to keep pace with projected global GDP growth.1 On the other hand, the performance improvement opportunities available to cities and communities that invest in the right technologies have never been more promising. Improving aging infrastructure systems can reap dramatic efficiency, resiliency and reliability results and have an impact on millions around the world. Smart community and city leadership are aware of the sustainability opportunities that transforming the built environment can generate. All over the world, cities and communities are turning towards regenerative communities that deliver innovative solutions and demonstrate the use of consistent standards and practices. These regenerative communities are helping to drive true market transformation for the built environment on a global scale.