Engineering: issues, challenges and opportunities for development ...

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ENGINEERING FOR DEVELOPMENT: APPLICATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTUREthe next edition of the IRC. Given the response to the IRC2006,and the expectations that have been created, it is clearthat future reports cannot simply present an update of theIRC2006. It is considered a given that the new IRC will entailan even more rigorous process, with greater consultation andfiner definition of the process and particularly the grading.The following options are being considered. Rather than beingmutually exclusive, they may also be considered as progressiveelaborations:Update and refine: Infrastructure condition does not alter significantlyin the space of a year. Nonetheless, the first reportcard was not flawless and could do with a tweaking. So oneoption is to provide an interim report, incorporating a trendscore (improvement, decline or unchanged grades sinceIRC2006) and possibly a sustainability score (the future abilityof the asset to perform adequately with only routine maintenance,i.e. a refurbishment/renewal index); SAICE could alsoextend the IRC to include all or some of: Education, Housing,ICT, Public Works assets (Justice, police, and so on).Extend the South African IRC to provide a detailed analysisby South African province or region. There have already beenrequests for assistance in compiling more regionally focusedreport cards. In addition, focus and comment on one or moreof the following areas: rail and harbour facilities, Municipalitiesor just Metros. Undertake an economic analysis including afiner breakdown of the current areas, e.g. discuss backlogs andopportunity costs of doing or not doing specific maintenanceor capital investments, benefits to society of various choices,and so on.Extend the process to all Southern African countries, initiallythrough the creation of a template that is populated through adesktop study, progressively elaborated into a nested scorecardfor the region that permits examination of the infrastructureof each country individually, or the aggregated infrastructureof the region in a particular category, e.g. road transport, harbours,energy, among others, or through an examination ofnatural or economic corridors.Clearly, these are ambitious objectives and some, if undertaken,go beyond the mandate of SAICE and will require externalauthority and especially substantial funding. It should benoted that each of these options stem from engagement withstakeholders post-IRC2006.ConclusionThe impact of the Infrastructure Report Card for South Africa2006 has been extremely positive. Whereas the state of SouthAfrica’s public sector infrastructure has for some while beenunder the spotlight, there is now broad recognition thatSAICE has provided the first national-scale credible benchmarkagainst which progress (or regress) can in future yearsbe measured.There is broad consensus that the initiative should be sustainedand extended, but that at the same time the independenceof the benchmarking process should not becompromised.The future of the project must also consider embracing theparticipation of partners such as aid agencies, SAICE’s ownpartners such as statutory institutions, Voluntary Associations,the African Engineers Forum, the World Federation ofEngineers Organization, UNESCO and others. SAICE will continueto convene the initiative through reasonable time commitmentas a volunteer organization. Opinion and assistancewill be sought from SAICE volunteers, but this will clearly notbe sufficient. Discretion will have to be exercised regardingcompensation for contributions.USAAlison DickertThe report card for America’s infrastructure is the signaturepublic education and advocacy tool for the American Societyof Civil Engineers (ASCE). ASCE and its members are committedto protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public,and as such, are equally committed to improving the nation’spublic infrastructure. To achieve that goal, the report carddepicts the condition and performance of the nation’s infrastructurein the familiar form of a school report card – assigningletter grades based on physical condition and needed fiscalinvestments for improvement. The report card can be accessedonline at http://www.asce.org/reportcard.The report card is a clear and concise document that lays outthe scope of the problem in terms the average person canunderstand. In a world with ever increasing media clutter,the universal symbol of schoolhouse grades cuts through andleave a lasting – and sobering – impression.Since 1998, ASCE has issued three infrastructure report cardsand numerous status updates that depict the current state ofthe infrastructure and provide potential solutions for improvement.The report card receives widespread media coverageand has been cited in numerous academic studies. The nation’spolitical leaders also rely on the report card to provide themwith clear information, which they can use as a guide for policydecisions.In 1988 when the report was first released, the nation’s infrastructureearned a ‘C’, representing an average grade. Amongthe problems identified within the report card, titled Fragile303
ENGINEERING: ISSUES CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENTFoundations: A report on America’s Public Works, were increasingcongestion, deferred maintenance and age of the system;the authors of the report worried that fiscal investment wasinadequate to meet the current operations costs and futuredemands on the system.The NeedPublic opinion research conducted in 1997 by ASCE revealedthat while the general public reported a high degree of respectfor engineers, they lacked a meaningful understanding of therelationship between engineering and day-to-day life. Moreover,they displayed little interest in learning more about engineering.This research did reveal strong interest in traffic, cleanwater, the environment and other engineering-dependentquality of life issues, coupled with a belief that engineers wouldbe the most credible source for information and education onthose issues.To respond to the public’s compelling desire for relevant information,and to position civil engineers as credible sources forthat information, ASCE decided to re-examine the infrastructurereport card on the tenth anniversary of its initial release.ASCE found that in the decade since the Fragile Foundationsreport was released, the overall grade had dropped a wholeletter grade to a ‘D’. Moreover, a failing grade was assignedto the nation’s public school infrastructure, with near failinggrades in crucial areas such as drinking water, roads and dams.The grades surprised even the authors, and generated widespreadpublic attention.Report cards issued in 2001 and 2005, respectively, showed aslight upturn to a ‘D+’ in the overall grade before it sank backto a ‘D’. What is most telling, however, is the fact that the concernsin the 1988 report are the same ones found subsequently,such as inadequate capacity and deferred maintenance.The inadequate condition of the nation’s infrastructure continuesto be a persistent problem. Just as making the neededimprovements will be a long, expensive and labour-intensivetask, convincing political leaders and the public that somethingmust be done about it is equally challenging. ASCE plansto release a new version of the report card in March 2009.Given the twenty years of age, deferred maintenance andunder investment since the first report card in 1998, seriousimprovement is not anticipated.The ProcessTo develop the report card, ASCE assembles an advisory panelof the nation’s leading civil engineers, analyses hundreds ofstudies, reports and other sources, and surveys thousands ofengineers to determine what is happening in the field. Theadvisory panel determines the scope of the inquiry and establishesa methodology for assigning grades.For the 2005 report card, grades were assigned on the basisof condition and capacity, and funding versus need, generallyfollowing a traditional grading scale (e.g. if 77 per cent of roadsare in good condition or better, that would earn a grade of‘C’). Base grades were then reviewed by the advisory panel andadjusted, usually with a plus or minus but sometimes as mucha full letter grade, to reflect positive or negative trends or thecritical consequences should a catastrophic failure occur. Forexample, the failure of a bridge or dam would have much moreimmediate and deadly consequences than a problem relatedto solid waste disposal.The BenefitIn public opinion research conducted for ASCE in 2005, thepublic demonstrated significant recognition of the crisis facingAmerica’s infrastructure, as well as an understanding of therole of both engineers and the public in defining and adoptingsolutions. These findings represented a marked change fromthose in 1997.The report card allows civil engineers to speak with one voicefor the profession, not singular business interests. The impartialityand focus toward achieving a strategic goal for the bettermentof all make ASCE a powerful advocate. With such astrong reputation, ASCE and its report card are well-respectedadvisors to policymakers.Despite great accomplishments in highlighting the needs ofAmerica’s infrastructure and advancing the profession of civilengineering, much still needs to be done. The report card hassucceeded in convincing most people that something needsto be done, but it has yet to inspire the political leadershipto effect real change. As ASCE begins its task of updating thereport card for 2009, it will give particular focus to empoweringthe average citizen to take up this cause and fight for abetter system.During the last century, the United States saw unprecedentedgrowth and prosperity, and at the same time experienced acorresponding build up of public infrastructure. If the nationis to keep competing in the global economy, we must have theproper infrastructure to do so. The 2009 Infrastructure ReportCard must be the catalyst to pursue that goal.AustraliaLeanne HardwickeEngineers Australia (EA) undertakes public policy activities ata national and state and territory level with a view to contributingto the public debate on issues that are directly engineeringrelated, impact on the engineering profession or are in thebest interest of the community from the membership’s point304
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UNESCO ReportEngineering:IssuesChal
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This landmark report on engineering
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Executive SummaryAn agenda for engi
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ENGINEERING: ISSUES CHALLENGES AND
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Introductionto the Report
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INTRODUCTION© GFDL - Wikimedia - L
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1What is Engineering?
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WHAT IS ENGINEERING?and awareness o
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WHAT IS ENGINEERING?1.2 Engineers,
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2Engineering andHuman Development
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ENGINEERING AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENTth
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3Engineering:Emerging Issues and Ch
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5Engineering around the world
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ENGINEERING AROUND THE WORLDnationa
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6Engineering for Development:Applic
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APPENDICES9.1Engineering at UNESCO
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APPENDICES9.2Biographies of Contrib
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APPENDICESopment of software for in
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APPENDICESous career in higher educ
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APPENDICES2002 and has led the deve
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APPENDICESKevin WallDr Kevin Wall i
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APPENDICES9.3List of acronyms abbre
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APPENDICESIAAMRHIACETICCICEICIDICSU
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APPENDICESUNCSTDUNCTADUNDPUNEPUNESC
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APPENDICES212, 213, 214, 215, 217,
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