Sustainable Cities and Communities

As part of Bechtel’s commitment to contribute 100 ideas to support the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this case study examines how we can improve the resilience and security of vulnerable communities against the impact and implications of natural hazards by delivering projects that combine nature-based (green), traditional infrastructure (grey) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) solutions.

Mark Oven’s life’s work has been dedicated to improving energy in developing countries. He has been at the forefront of energy project implementation since 1986. Mr. Oven has provided oversight and quality control on more than 20 major projects for various government agencies and development organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, International Development Bank, and Millennium Challenge Corporation.

What will mass transit look like in the future? Earlier this year, California announced an ambitious plan to reduce emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, setting the state on a path to achieving 80-percent reduction by 2050. Although satisfying these goals will require contributions from all sectors of the economy, the transition to zero- and near-zero emission vehicles will play an outsized role — particularly when it comes to mass transit.

Consumers Energy’s investment in West Michigan continues with plans announced today for a new $20 million headquarters in the city of Grand Rapids to serve the fastest-growing region of its company. Locating the building in the city’s West Side, a vibrant area seeing significant redevelopment centered on sustainability and walkability, is a promise to Consumers Energy’s employees of today and tomorrow.

HydroWeb provides our clients with full access to a powerful, personalized solution for their water systems data management needs. Tetra Tech developed the HydroWeb tool, a free web platform that enables the efficient management of our customers’ monitoring systems. It allows for real-time data collection, analysis, display, and reporting of key performance indicators.

A future where driverless cars are roaming city streets may be closer than you think. Quickly moving past test and pilot phases, autonomous vehicles are now hitting the road in business parks and on limited fixed routes, bringing the promise of increased safety, reduced emissions and the potential for streamlined public transportation.

For decades, the definition of “infrastructure” has remained unchanged and was used to define roads, bridges, electricity and water delivery systems, among other examples. But as cities continue to build upon smart city efforts, the concept and very definition of infrastructure is changing.

Black & Veatch, a leader in the design and construction management of large-diameter, deep-tunneling projects, announced today it has created a Center of Excellence in its Houston office to deliver sustainable, cost-effective tunneled solutions.

As communities around the world are impacted by ongoing weather extremes, local utilities face significant challenges to plan secure infrastructure to minimize service disruptions for their customers.

The city of Philadelphia’s football team won the big game for the first time ever and its long-suffering fan base celebrated the victory in kind. In February, the city held a massive parade for its football team, a turnout that some estimated teetered over 700,000 people. With this great turnout came its inevitable byproduct: trash. Lots of trash. Roughly 90 tons of trash, the most the city has ever generated for a single event and nearly double its previous record of 58 tons for a victory parade for its baseball team in 2008.

Philadelphia came prepared. The city’s Department of Streets mobilized a team of 300 workers, using 100 kinds of equipment, to follow the procession of the parade to clean up the immediate aftermath.