Engineering Knowledge: the Institution of Civil Engineers and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Zaqout, Mariam
Martins, Flavio
Koch, Marta
Hansford, Mark
Parikh, Priti
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Infrastructure systems have the potential to benefit all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to understand the role of civil engineers to contribute to the SDGs, the synergies and trade-offs between civil engineering projects, the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets were identified. Using a structured literature review of research published in key Institution of Civil Engineers journals, the priority targets for the SDGs that civil engineering is best placed to provide a contribution were identified. The highest synergies were noted in the sector of transport (Target 11.6), which highlights the need for a standalone transport goal for future SDGs beyond 2030. Across the transport, energy, water and waste management infrastructure, SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production) were found to have the highest synergies, but more work needs to be done to address the increasing uncertainty and threats of climate change (SDG 13). Finally, the civil engineering community needs to recognise the trade-offs between infrastructure projects with socio-economic SDG targets relating to health, education, gender equality and poverty reduction, which is best done by embedding the SDGs in projects from planning rather than at design or implementation stages.
Date Issued
2025-08-01
Date Acceptance
2025-04-16
Citation
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering, 2025, 178 (3), pp.163-174
ISSN
0965-089X
Publisher
Emerald
Start Page
163
End Page
174
Journal / Book Title
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering
Volume
178
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited: All rights reserved. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2025-06-29