Portrait of a thriving nation

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.

What 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 realworld 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

see that every nation is on its own journey and experiencing success in different ways. But this is not a competition. As long as we’re on the pathway that’s showing that we’re making progress, that’s a positive thing,” Ms Meyrick said.

“Understanding how we are tracking, maintaining our progress and reporting back, not to our Boards but to our people, is critical to maintaining a positive direction of travel. We have to be held accountable to a higher purpose.”

SHORT-TERM SUCCESS VERSUS LONGTERM TRANSFORMATION Ms Meyrick then brought attention to the importance of far-sighted and purposeful investment in infrastructure to create intergenerational value.

“Surely, the kinds of infrastructure that we prioritise reflects the kind of nation that we want to be,” she said. “Worldclass infrastructure has foresight, and it has impact. It’s resilient. It creates the widest possible future legacies and measurable intergenerational values for all stakeholders.”

She noted that to achieve this, we need to view infrastructure as a fully integrated system, rather than as a series of discrete silos.

“It’s so easy to keep kicking the can down the road, convincing ourselves the picture is somehow somebody else’s responsibility and it’s going to happen or start tomorrow because we’ve got enough problems that we are dealing with today. But with half the infrastructure portfolio that’s needed to meet global needs in 2050 already procured, under construction or commissioned, we’ve got to get on with it today. We cannot rely on a business-as-usual solution to create the transformational change that our nation is going to need to thrive,” she said.

“And so, the time has come to ask ourselves a tough question: Does our established thinking about meeting today’s needs, without compromising the ability to meet future needs, go far enough? Do we need a new touchdown, a new universal truth to connect to an infrastructure renaissance, to ensure all decisions made today actually create a stronger legacy for the communities of tomorrow?”

The United Nations confirms that infrastructure is responsible for 70 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions and 88 per cent of all adaptation costs. The OECD suggests that in the countdown to 2030, an additional $US1,000 per year for every person on the planet will be needed to meet sustainable development goals and climate targets: this is in addition to the planned infrastructure expenditure needed globally to sustain current levels of population growth.

In this context, Ms Meyrick said a “seismic shifts in thinking” would be required to ensure the return on investment being made on infrastructure globally was commensurate with the magnitude of the spend.

“Today’s infrastructure choices will determine tomorrow’s carbon performance,” she said. “We need to make two seismic shifts in thinking: Firstly, that climate change and social inequality, not the market, are the real competition here. We are the collaborators, and in this scenario, we can measure our success both locally and through global impact.

“Secondly, that the business-as-usual approach, however well-established, is just not going to lead us to the promised land. We need to eliminate the leakage of opportunity and amplify the value that can be created when we reject this siloed approach and go to something that’s more like a network or a lattice. Whilst the former is going to keep society in survival mode, only the latter is going to help us thrive.”

Ms Ainsley Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Sustainability Council, said the Council would take onboard the recommendations put forward by the report by forming a member coalition to move forward the report’s agenda.

“We have this once-in-a-generation opportunity, with billions being invested, in Australia, New Zealand and multiple other countries. It’s time to take stock of how we maximise the total dividend that investment will deliver, culturally, socially, environmentally, and economically,” she said.

“We have crossed the chasm, and sustainability is no longer peripheral and localised; now it is becoming democratised and globalised. It is becoming competitive advantage, core business, and unlocking new markets. Sustainability, ESG, is yet to fully unleash as a catalyst for market transformation. As this happens, our sector will find its purpose; enabling people, places, and planet to thrive. How? By delivering infrastructure for people, by people.”

Urbis Future State Director Kate Meyrick (left) and Infrastructure Sustainability Council Chief Executive Officer Ainsley Simpson (right) at the ReConnect Conference in Sydney.

“WE HAVE THIS ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY, WITH BILLIONS BEING INVESTED, IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND MULTIPLE OTHER COUNTRIES. IT’S TIME TO TAKE STOCK OF HOW WE MAXIMISE THE TOTAL DIVIDEND THAT INVESTMENT WILL DELIVER, CULTURALLY, SOCIALLY, ENVIRONMENTALLY, AND ECONOMICALLY.”