Voices on Infrastructure

July 21, 2021 – This issue shares perspectives on what it will take to dramatically reduce carbon emissions in the built environment and how to accelerate the energy transition.

June 23, 2021 – This edition of Voices shares perspectives on reshaping the industry for the next normal, including technology platforms, changing customer preferences, sustainability, and ways to win ridership.

May 6, 2021 – This report recaps the best ideas of the 2021 GII Summit and shares the voices and perspectives of leaders from across geographies and sectors.

September 29, 2020 – The infrastructure ecosystem is ready for change: the typical project carries unwanted surprises, profits for the construction sector as a whole have been lower than its average cost of capital, and neither problem can be fully addressed so long as the industry’s 0.5 percent  annual productivity growth persists as it has for decades.

June 1, 2020 – Welcome to the June edition of Voices, a collection of insights on resetting amid COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic is a deep humanitarian crisis—one that is also causing unprecedented disruption across the global economy, and the impacts are likely to be felt for years. Leaders from across the infrastructure value chain are scrambling to keep their employees safe while ascertaining how their organization’s finances, workforce, projects, supply chains, and operations may be disrupted.

December 31, 2019 – Welcome to the December issue of Voices, a collection of insights on the workforce of the future. Spending shortfalls—projected to total some$5.5 trillion worldwide when compared with the level needed to maintain current GDP growth—are already straining global infrastructure. But another threat looms as well. Infrastructure faces a labor shortage due to retirement, a working-age population with different workforce preferences, and increasing degrees of automation that leave workers worried about the sustainability of their jobs.

September 20, 2019 – Welcome to our September 2019 edition of Voices, exploring the theme of scaling modular construction. Modular construction is experiencing a new wave of innovation and investment, as discussed in our report, Modular construction: From projects to products. In this edition, we discuss what it will take for the construction industry to go beyond modular, optimize the mix of new solutions, and collectively shape the projects of the future.

July 29, 2019 – This edition of Voices looks at how our cities’ core infrastructure needs to evolve in lockstep with new mobility technologies and business models. It outlines a vision of seamless tech-enabled mobility; explores how cities worldwide are forging steps toward that vision; and discusses the implications of this future for our metros, bus networks, airports, and more.

March 1, 2019 – Thanks to growing project and technological complexity as well as changing consumer preferences and new business models, traditional rules no longer apply to the way space is acquired, developed, and used.

October 8, 2018 – Infrastructure is a critical foundation for much of our economic activity and social life. This collection of insights explores how the industry can improve physical asset resilience, protect cities from stress, and prepare organizations for sweeping change.

June 1, 2018 – How do we improve outcomes on society’s largest, most complex projects?

March 1, 2018 – After a long legacy of reluctance to embrace new technology, capital project and infrastructure leaders are quickly realizing that digital is no longer an option.

December 1, 2017 – Implementing digital solutions on a citywide scale requires vision and persistence—which is why this issue of Voices brings together multiple case studies from around the globe. Mayors, experts, technology leaders, and residents themselves all have a role to play. We hope these perspectives help guide decision makers in shaping the smart cities of the future.

September 1, 2017 – In this issue of Voices, our authors weigh in on how public-sector authorities, shipping stakeholders, and senior leaders can and must adapt to new, evolving norms. We hope these thoughts illuminate ways in which today’s transportation leaders can adopt novel thinking on how to compete, succeed, and thrive. No one knows exactly how the future will play out, but it is clear it will look and operate much differently than it does today.

June 1, 2017 – This collection of articles by industry leaders and McKinsey experts is dedicated to ideas about how project delivery organizations can improve productivity. The articles describe the current challenges and feature examples of successful integrated delivery models, process standardization, collaborative contractual frameworks, proven intervention techniques, and public-private partnership delivery benefits. Our contributors look at how leading organizations are responding to these challenges with creativity and innovation.

March 1, 2017 – This collection of articles by industry leaders and McKinsey experts focuses on the crucial opening phases of infrastructure projects: project development and financing. Smart development and stable financing can make the difference between a successful project and one that falls short. These elements, however, are often missing on projects ranging from toll roads in North America to renewable energy installations in Africa.

December 1, 2016 – One of the world’s most interesting industries, real estate contributes significantly to global GDP; it is also the bedrock of urbanization and has created immense wealth. But it is difficult to understand. Real estate is local in character, extremely cyclical, and often characterized by information asymmetry and lack of transparency. This issue of Voices explores the trends shaping the future of the industry, including customer-centricity, functional design, disruptive technology, transit-oriented development, and investment in emerging markets.

October 1, 2016 – While prospects for the engineering and construction sectors are promising, it also faces challenges including falling commodity prices, declining productivity, delays, cost overruns, increasing competition, and disruptive technologies. This issue of Voices on Infrastructure examines how the industry can do better.

June 1, 2016 – More than half the world’s population lives in cities, and how urban environments evolve will be one of the defining features of the 21st century. This issue examines how infrastructure can meet people’s growing needs.

March 1, 2016 – This issue examines novel solutions to improving infrastructure delivery, with contributions from industry executives including Crossrail’s Andrew Wolstenholme, Heathrow’s Andrew Macmillan, and Hong Kong MTR’s Lincoln Leong.

May 1, 2015 – Rethinking Infrastructure brings together perspectives on the $57 trillion infrastructure challenge from the public and private sector, industry and academia. These articles address the question: How do we deliver infrastructure for a planet of 9 billion people?