Mega transport projects and sustainable development: lessons from a multi case study evaluation of international practice

Abstract

Mega infrastructure investments currently feature as significant aspects in many of the development agendas worldwide. Such projects are often deemed ‘unsuccessful’ because they have been unable to meet their original expectations in terms of outturn cost, on-time delivery and construction quality. This paper aims to contribute to the debate concerning broader definitions of project success by presenting the findings from an evaluation of 27 mega transport projects drawn from nine countries with respect to their achievements towards multiple dimensions and challenges of sustainable development (SD). The study found the projects exhibited a generally low adherence to SD principles and the lack of shared vision of what SD means threatens to undermine the potential for mega infrastructure to contribute positively to its delivery. The absence of clarity and consensus poses a number of critical challenges for mega infrastructure planning, including questions about whether they can effectively meet the needs of intra and inter-generational equity (and socio-economic equity), as well as global concerns about such matters as emissions, fuel scarcity and climate change