FieldSight

Infrastructure is a key enabling factor for each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Functioning water, energy, and transportation networks, quality buildings, and wide-spread internet and communications technology all facilitate and enhance achievements in health, education, social development, economic growth, and more (Infrastructure: Underpinning Social Development, UNOPS). Globally, more than $3.4 trillion per year is invested in infrastructure; however, building and maintaining quality infrastructure is a common challenging facing governments, development actors, multilateral organizations, and private companies worldwide. Low quality or poorly built infrastructure has significant long-term impacts on finances, growth, and health and safety. Both poor design -- such as the failure to use appropriate technology or account for local contextual issues -- and poor implementation -- the failure to construct infrastructure as designed -- contribute to low quality and poor results.