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Welcome to this latest edition of achieve – our quarterly magazine where we share the thinking of many of our leaders in particular fields. Infrastructure development is the focus of our cover stories in this issue.
In the wake of the global financial crisis the need to stimulate growth is more important than ever. Infrastructure development is competing to be a major recipient of stimulus packages introduced to offset the impact of the economic downturn, with a chorus of voices in the western world and emerging economies protesting that investment in new infrastructure is long overdue.
A commonly held view is that many countries around the world have balanced their budgets over the past 10 years by curtailing construction costs for new public assets and the maintenance of existing buildings and roads. At the same time there is little doubt that infrastructure demands over the next ten years will increase, requiring even greater investment and upkeep.
The first article in this issue of achieve is an interview with Bill Wild, Chief Operating Officer of Leighton Holdings, Australia’s largest project development and contracting group. A second article examines the need to create sustainable communities that are resilient to the impacts of climate change, and we also explore the role being played by underground infrastructure to house critical utilities, energy supply and increasingly, transportation and communication links.
We hope you enjoy this edition and find the items of interest to you.
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