Changing the civil engineering industry to benefit both planet and people cannot be achieved without collaboration from all stakeholders.

Changing the civil engineering industry to benefit both planet and people cannot be achieved without collaboration from all stakeholders.

That’s according to Anusha Shah, future President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The Director of Resilient Cities at Arcadis was interviewed by Central Piling MD and FPS chair Steve Hadley for the organisation’s February podcast.

Anusha, who has worked on-site, explained to Steve how her work in India has influenced her love of the natural environment, and consequently her work on the environment and sustainability.

The industry needs to take a hard look at how it plans, designs, operates, maintains and demolishes infrastructure, she said, and now is the time for real action on changing the industry to benefit both planet and people.

She was keen to point out what lessons can be learnt from pro-active projects around the world, such as how The Netherlands is constantly redeveloping its flood defences rather than reacting once a flood has happened, and how New York integrates its solutions into what also benefits society, such as green spaces and parks.

The interview explored Anusha’s work with the Thames Estuary Partnership and how working together collaboratively with all stakeholders improves the river for all inhabitants, including the ecosystem, recognising that no one organisation holds all the answers.

On the subject of diversity and equality, Anusha talked about how those leaders who are making a difference are coming from all areas of society and how economic growth with poor social outcomes is actually failure!

The podcast can be listened to via https://tinyurl.com/y6cx9j3s