This paper argues that extreme environmentalism, akin to a religion, is causing the expenditure of massive amounts of limited resources of both money and attention to solve relatively unimportant problems. A crisis mentality in the news media has fostered a distorted view of environmental issues. The public perception of environmental problems is far removed from that of the scientific concensus. Environmental policy is now based more on emotion and debate than on facts and rational calculation. The attempt to reduce risk from man-made sources to zero, while ignoring much more substantial natural sources, diverts funds from real problems that could be addressed to alleviate suffering and disease. A moderate, rather than fearful, reaction to environmental concerns is urged. Engineers should promote quantitative solutions to environmental problems, and should appreciate the economics of pollution control and risk reduction. The inclusion of supplemental materials to support a rational concern for environmental issues in environmental engineering courses is urged.

The present paper describes the rise and fall of nuclear power as a case history of a U.S. technology policy. The case history is relevant to the recent revival of discussions on national technology policies. Such policies, sometimes called industrial policies, bestow incentives and protection on a nation's favored industries in order to improve their international competitive positions. Economists cite the industrial policies of Japan and Korea as one of the reasons for the strong international competitiveness of their automotive and electronics industries. The history of U.S. commercial nuclear power provides a case study on the extent to which U.S. government policies have been able to steer technological development to support national and international objectives. U.S. utilities ordered 218 nuclear power plants after President Eisenhower implemented his “Atoms for Peace” policy starting in 1953. They canceled 102 of them after 1975 when President Carter reversed the policy in order to set a nuclear nonproliferation example for the rest of the world, The canceled plants cost shareholders and ratepayers approximently $74 billion.

It is sometimes useful to look at ourselves from the point of view of a completely different discipline. In particular, philosophy and sociology have a great deal to offer. In the present paper the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre is used to define the place of engineers in the world and their relationship to basic human desires and needs. Sartre sees the relationship of human beings to the physical world as having two extreme aspects. One corresponds to the instrumental action of the engineer and the other to the passive desire that motivates much of engineering production. It is concluded that engineers have too readily accepted a role in the service of the universal desire for possessions. What is now required is a redefinition of purpose in order to strive toward the satisfaction of needs and the acknowledgement of limits . This requires an engagement with the massive social and environmental problems produced by our obsession with development.

The concept of sustainable development has been widely discussed in a number of forums throughout the world. Recent developments, such as the creation of the World Engineering Partnership for Sustainable Development, will greatly aid in advancing the underlying concept beyond the conceptual stage through to the development of practical approaches that engineers can use to sustainably plan, design, and operate engineering projects. Engineering for sustainability will require us as professionals to go significantly beyond traditional technical, engineering economics, and health and safety issues in the comparison and evaluation of project alternatives. In this paper, a set of expanded criteria are described for a broader sustainability-based evaluation process. The sustainability criteria are then applied to a hypothetical example from the municipal solid-waste-management area, to illustrate how the expanded set of criteria could be used to compare technical alternatives by accounting for long-term effects and difficult-to-quantify issues.

As a result of rapid advances in knowledge, regulations, and technology, many employed engineers desire graduate-level engineering degrees for career advancement. Accommodating these students in existing graduate engineering programs leads to several conflicts among faculty, full-time and part-time students, and administrators. These include the allocation of faculty time as well as availability of university facilities and faculty. Very important is ability to meet the time constraints as well as the different career goals of both full-time and part-time students. Establishing a separate degree program for part-time students creates concerns about both degree quality control and graduation requirements. In both cases, strict entrance requirements may restrict the admission of many otherwise qualified professionals. These conflicts are discussed in detail. Suggested solutions include wider use of flex-time and support of graduate education by engineering firms; admission flexibility and greater use of communication technology by universities, faculty, and students; and other adjustments by all parties involved in part-time graduate engineering education.

Good writing skills are essential for civil engineers to communicate effectively with clients, contractors, regulators, and the public. Technical reports and papers should present information clearly and concisely. Civil engineering students should be urged to sharpen writing skills through regular, frequent practice in all technical undergraduate classes. This paper is presented as a writing aid and motivational tool for civil engineering faculty and students. It is vitally important that all faculty provide ample opportunity and motivation for students to practice writing. Examples of poorly written passages from student reports and discussions of ways to improve them are included in this paper. Also included are tables and appendices of helpful comments. This paper is not meant to replace all the excellent references available on English grammar and technical writing but to supplement them. The examples and discussions in this paper should illustrate, and help eliminate, those errors frequently observed in civil engineering reports.

The progress of civilization is linked to the successful development and evolution of transportation modes and methodologies. The rise of a great society, from ancient times to the present day, was and is dependent upon its ability to carry on trade and commerce across national frontiers and international borders. Although new technological developments have always been and will always be criticized by skeptics, usually expounding dire (and often baseless) consequences, history shows that nations failing to create, upgrade, and maintain their transportation infrastructure eventually decline, are eclipsed, and sometimes disappear from the world stage. As the 21st century dawns, innovative approaches must be developed and continuously refined to effectively balance available modal choices to secure a foothold within the rapidly evolving transnational network, ensuring a healthy economy that also addresses environmental and societal concerns. However, this will not be possible without a strong leadership willing to invest the necessary resources and capital, both public and private, for conducting research and development and financing new projects.

The challenge facing the engineering profession is to design in a manner that protects the environment and promotes sustainable development: This is becoming a vital facet of our everyday behavior. To meet this challenge, the profession has to emphasize the necessity for all engineers to understand the challenge and to respect the parameters that govern it. One approach is the promotion of the exchange of relevant information on both the physical and social system; one way to achieve this is through the development of worldwide partnerships and coalitions, such as the World Engineering Partnerships for Sustainable Development (WEPSD). It is also important that an imperative be recognized: namely that the engineers' planning, design, and construction of facilities meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. To satisfy this imperative, it is essential for the engineer to develop a set of ethical principles that will govern his ability to reject demands by certain elements of the public to design unsustainably, with short-term profit and expediency as the immediate goals.

The importance of successful urban regeneration that improves the economy and meets the needs of the people is discussed.

This paper encourages civil engineers to assume positions of leadership in order to facilitate balanced legislation and planning in the context of urban regeneration and the environment.

In this paper, presentations from Session VI of the 1993 Joint Triennial Conference, “Urban Regeneration and the Environmental Challenge,” are discussed.

A discussion of the issues currently affecting the development of urban transport and urban planning, including public policy, financing, and technology, is presented.

Oriental philosophies relate to an essentially rural society, and in consequence the attitude of Asian societies to the environment has previously been one of conservation or sustainable development. However, over the course of history, the introduction of modernization and economic development, at an accelerating pace, has brought about a series of revolutions that have changed this attitude to one of economic and social need; this has led to the environmental challenge and the need for an environmental revolution. In response to this challenge, engineers of all disciplines must take stock. Engineers are fundamentally practical people whose attitudes and training have traditionally been directed toward serving society's immediate needs. They must now look at the wider implications and long-term consequences of their works. The learned societies and institutions to which engineers are affiliated must take the lead by laying down environmental codes of conduct and encouraging engineers to protect environment rather than seek to dominate nature, as has traditionally been the case. This paper investigates these aspects and, more generally, the effect of variation in expectation due to ethnic origin.

This paper draws attention to the need for careful investigation, preplanning, and consultation at the start of urban-regeneration schemes in order to identify possible difficulties in relation to transportation, contaminated land, and local antagonism. To reduce the nuisance that construction causes to existing inhabitants, the City of London, of which the Lord Mayor is the head, has initiated a “Considerate Contractors” scheme that aims to ensure that contractors, by following a code of good practice, with regard to prevention of nuisance from noise, dust, and construction traffic, achieve the implementation of regeneration projects without antagonizing those inhabitants. This may necessitate, in some circumstances, working in an uneconomic fashion. The paper emphasizes the need for safety on construction sites and the necessity for sites to be tidied up on completion. The writer recommends the use of such a scheme of “Considerate Contractors” on regeneration programs.