Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

Nations are socially and economically empowered through infrastructure. Infra-development is used to stimulate and rejuvenate national economies, yet it is often difficult to effectively implement. When massive shocks disrupt the economy on a global scale, like with the COVID-19 pandemic, nations are severely impacted. To mitigate this and other disasters, an infrastructure-driven recovery is increasingly becoming a deliberated solution toward revival of economies. Similarly, the South African(SA) government has elevated infrastructure development in pursuit of socio-economic development. Despite infrastructure investment needs, gaps, and challenges in an altered global environment, there also exist new opportunities as nations evoke innovative thinking to address systemic problems. In essence, the need for innovation inspiring resilient and sustainable infrastructure has been pronounced across many sectors. This is despite that, and maybe informed by challenges of the global COVID-19 crisis that gripped the world’s attention, being the impacts of climate change, population expansion and urbanization. These and other issues continue to hamper socio-economic and environmental priorities that government is responding to. This study explores global trends in sustainable infrastructure development in comparison to the SA scenario. A qualitative approach was followed including a desktop review of literature on infra-development approaches. The paper development also benefited from a webinar on global trends in infra-development within the SA setting, focusing on infra-development strategies, challenges, successes, socio-economic, and environmental needs. Investigations into infrastructure strategies are focused upon and recommendations are made for improving strategies in sustainable infrastructure development in SA, and their suitability in addressing socio-economic and environmental problems.