Sustainable Infrastructure

1) Infrastructure?

Aims

  • Understand what is meant by “Infrastructure.”
  • Become aware of infrastructure projects at different scales
  • Consider who is responsible for developing a country’s infrastructure.
  • Develop an understanding of how infrastructure planned and developed.
These are some of the biggest projects in the world but not all infrastructure projects are as big as these.

Discuss

  1. Can you think of some local infrastructure projects that have been completed, are under construction or are still in the planning phase?
  2. What infrastructure projects would you like to see being developed?
  3. What are the biggest limitations on new infrastructure projects?

2) What do we mean by “Sustainable?”

Aims

  • An understanding of the word sustainable
  • Knowledge of how we can plan and assess sustainability
  • Introduce the Sustainable Development Goals and discuss their relevance to infrastructure

Discuss

  • What do you think sustainable means?
  • Can you come up with three words that cover the key aspects of sustainability?
The three pillar model of sustainability

Can infrastructure be sustainable?

Discuss

  • Use the three pillar model (the diagram below gives you more ideas) to assess one of the infrastructure projects we have discussed. It may be one of the mega projects or it may be one of the local projects.
  • Give it a score out of 10 for each of the three pillars mentioned in the video. Be ready to defend your scores.

“Sustainable Development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Brundtland report

The Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals. Are they relevant to infrastructure?

Discuss

  • How do the SDG’s relate to the 3 pillars of sustainability we discussed previously?
  • Could we use these to assess the sustainability of infrastructure projects.
  • How many of the goals are covered in the video below? If you think some are not covered then consider why this might be?

3) Sustainable Infrastructure

Developing Sustainable Infrastructure is planning for your future and your children’s future.

SuRe® –The Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure is a global voluntary standard which integrates key criteria of sustainability and resilience into infrastructure development and upgrade

Global Infrastructure Basel

Task: Assessing sustainable infrastructure

  • Use the following criteria to discuss the sustainability of a project in your local area? Click on the button below to go to the resource file.
Basel Infrastructure Projects

For an infrastructure project to be truly sustainable it must consider the rights and needs of young people.

Global Infrastructure Basel
  • Look at the infrastructure project you have just assessed. First of all consider how it currently meets the needs of young people.
  • Now imagine you have been asked to design and build a new version of the project in order to best meet the needs of young people as well as meeting the current SuRe criteria. Discuss what might included in the planning, design, construction and continued operation of the project.
  • If “Young People,” was to be added as a 4th dimension to the SuRe Criteria what might the specific themes be.
  • Could you create a way for young people to use the themes you have created to assess their local infrastructure and encourage change?