Infrastructure Sustainability Council
PORTRAIT OF A
THRIVING NATION A REPORT JOINTLY DEVELOPED BY THE INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL AND UBRIS ANALYSES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THRIVING NATIONS AND WORLD-CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE.
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hat is a thriving nation, and how do we know if we are surviving, striving or thriving? What will accelerate our success, and can world-class infrastructure unlock its transformational potential? These are the three questions that form the basis of a recent report developed by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC), in partnership with Urbis – an organisation dedicated to shaping cities and communities for a better future. The “Advance our nations, fair – world-class infrastructure for thriving nation,” report explores the relationship between thriving nations and world-class infrastructure, considering how we can maximise the long-term benefits enabled by infrastructure investment and what might hold us back. The report also shares real54
ROADS MAY 2022
world examples of how other nations are moving in this direction. Launching the paper at the ISC ReConnect Conference in Sydney, Urbis Future State Director Kate Meyrick challenged the audience to remember infrastructure’s purpose. “Infrastructure is about solving problems and enabling opportunities. If we want to be a better ancestor for future generations then we need to take a more restorative approach and make far bolder decisions today,” Ms Meyrick said. She noted that it’s not easy to find a mutually agreed upon global definition of a ‘thriving nation,’ despite the “profound and complex interplay between worldclass infrastructure and a thriving nation.” The report, therefore, begins by offering a definition.
“A thriving nation is one that is built by people, for people. A nation that’s fair, both spatially and intergenerationally. One where hopeful solution to local and global challenges is possible, one in which we respect our natural systems and where there is equal access to opportunity,” Ms Meyrick said. The Thriving Nation pyramid proposed in the paper builds on the foundations of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and provides complementary attributes. It proposes a hierarchical framework for determining the extent to which a nation is continuing to make progress and recognises that not all nations will succeed equally against each dimension or attribute – at the same rate. “Using the attributes of the Thriving Nation pyramid to compare success, we can
