URBAN REGENERATION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE

As someone who has lived abroad it is always a great pleasure to address an international audience but this subject, The Environmental Challenge for Engineers, presents particular difficulties when it is viewed in a global context.

This is because societal expectations about the environment vary widely around the world. It is relatively easy to list the reasons for this including, amongst many others, a country*s standard of living, the state of its economy, the age of its infrastructure, the availability of leisure time for its inhabitants and even ethnic and religious differences.

It is also influenced by the extent to which concern for the environment is embodied in national legislation or controlled by local authorities or left entirely to individuals who determine the pace of environmental progress through market forces and by how they choose to spend their money. The ability of individuals and environmental pressure groups to influence key decision makers in government and industry through the democratic process both as voters and shareholders is obviously equally important.