Economic Development
Sustainability is a priority worldwide but the term has become a tag added often unthinkingly to guarantee the validity of policies, products and values. If we are serious about it we need to ensure we agree on what it means and how to attain it, says Silvio Caputo
Sustainability is generally regarded as a way of living that will not undermine the capacity of future generations to enjoy the world’s resources. Sustainability is therefore about the future. But since the future is inherently uncertain, how can we be sure that what we put in place today in the name of sustainability will deliver what it promises? The answer could be: it must be flexible enough to adapt to future conditions whilst continuing to be resource-efficient. It must be resilient.
A study mapping government policies in England shows the importance of understanding the bigger picture, as Cecilia Wong, Mark Baker, Stephen Hincks, Andreas Schultz-Baing and Brian Webb explain
In a recent article written for The Observer, the columnist Will Hutton asks the question: ‘Where are the new airports and railways we so desperately need?’ Currently infrastructure is a source of political fancy – the National Infrastructure Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) are testament to this – and so Hutton’s question is not only loaded with political implications but offers an insight into the challenges facing the long-term sustainability of Britain’s infrastructure nodes and networks.
