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‘So it’s really
something like an
overarching cost
benefit analysis we
need. We have
healthcare
economists. In the
same way we need
something like
infrastructural
economists’
“When the investments are made and it
leads to a greener, cleaner city, it makes the
city more attractive, and we have a high
correlation between the attractiveness of
cities and their performance in the Green
City Index, so I think it will contribute
strongly to prosperity and jobs.”
ECONOMICS OF INFRASTRUCTURE
I ask Weinholt whether a new range of skill
sets is required in this move towards sustainable
cities, and whether the education
system needs to adapt.
“I think it is less about looking for something
new, but more to look at how we can
make use of our existing knowledge base,”
he responds. “I suppose it is more about
combining that expertise to cope with
these new challenges, and perhaps expanding
that knowledge base.
“Take this example – if we look at healthcare
systems in different countries, we always
find healthcare economists who are
quite able to assess the value for society, as
well as the cost of the current healthcare
system. They have a good understanding
of what is affordable and what is not affordable.
“If I translate this into infrastructure, we
are facing quite the same challenges. Today
it is not really known just what the cost and
benefit for the society is, for the environment,
for the economy, if we do implement
a combination of different solutions. The
Green City Index, for example, can help
cities like Dublin to prioritise, to see where
the city performs well or where it underperforms.
This, all of a sudden, gives you
focus areas so you don’t need to cover each
and every infrastructure segment, but
maybe start with these.
“Where we do need new skill sets is in
the economic area – the capability to assess
the economic value of what we want to do.
If I want to improve my transportation system
let’s say, and I go for traffic management
and I go for a better bus or transit
system or light rail system, I have to assess
if I do it how does it benefit the society?
How does it benefit the economy? How
does it benefit the environment? How does
it benefit the politics? And, of course, the
cost of these benefits.
“So it’s really something like an overarching
cost benefit analysis we need. We
have healthcare economists. In the same
way we need something like infrastructural
economists. That is a skill I think we desperately
need in order to translate good
plans, good ideas, good intents into something
that is tangible and feasible
technology-wise.”
This article first appeared in the Green
Economy Report in Irish Director
magazine, Summer 2011
Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2011 INNOVATION IRELAND REVIEW 65