Transitional Approaches to the Development of Sustainable Civil Engineering Infrastructure

Achieving sustainable performance for civil engineering infrastructure projects is a desirable goal but the tools and methods by which civil engineers can deliver technically responsive solutions in today's complex regulatory setting are still being developed. General concepts are developing for considerations of project elements that can address a broader societal need in a time of limited funding while at the same time we have significantly growing infrastructure needs. Adding social and economic considerations to a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship will be required if higher levels of higher sustainable performance are to be achieved. Transformational processes will be a necessary advance to just adding green features to traditional design approaches. ASCE has broadly embraced the need for promoting both short-term and longer-term sustainable performance for civil engineering infrastructure and is actively developing the tools which civil engineers will use to more constructively participate in the planning, design and construction support services for tomorrow's infrastructure projects.