SYNOPSIS
The term Sustainable Development was coined in 1987 in 'The Brundtland Report' as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The first concept of sustainable development evolved from the energy crisis and the environment pollution concerns in the 1970s and originated from the need and desire for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly construction practices and development. Infrastructure and the environment are inextricably linked and these built structures become part of our living environment, affecting our living conditions, social well-being and health. Energy, materials, water and land are all consumed in the construction and operation of these infrastructures. The concept of sustainability in building and construction has evolved over many years and the initial focus was on how to deal with the issue of limited resources and on how to reduce impacts on the natural environment. It is now recognised that social sustainability is also important, as are the cultural heritage aspects of the built environment. The use of innovative technologies for energy and material savings is one way towards achieving sustainable development, taking into account environmental, socio-economic and cultural issues and involves the issue of energy and resource consumption within the larger orbit of urban development and management.

The development of an urban transit system involving an elevated light rail within a dense highly developed urban and suburban environment has various impacts but the emphasis is on the long term residual impacts during its operation that could result in a degradation of the natural and social environment. The main issues are on noise generation and aesthetics. There are potential theoretical benefits in the reduction of atmospheric pollution in the reduction of vehicular traffic with the availability of an efficient urban transport system. The downside is the additional noise generated within a background of already high ambient noise levels and the aesthetics of an elevated concrete structure spanning over miles of suburban and inner city landscape. Much as in the construction, the use of innovative technologies and design can mitigate effectively against these impacts but such use can conflict against the economic sustainability of such infrastructures.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER
Edward Wong is the Principal Consultant at Environment Asia Sdn Bhd and has been involved in the environmental consultancy field for over 30 years.  He is a certified CPESC and CESSWI in soil erosion and sediment control as well as a DOE registered environmental auditor and EIA consultant. With a background in natural resource conservation and management, he has accumulated experience in the conduct of environmental audits and the environmental impact assessment of various infrastructure projects such as expressways, highways and railways in addition to industrial and land development projects. Over the course of his work, he has worked in various countries in Asia and Southeast Asia including India, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Taiwan.