Presidential Roundtable summary: how can EBI guidance strengthen strategic infrastructure planning?

Strategic planning is the key to unlocking sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and governments around the world are grappling with the task.

Limited fiscal budgets, growing demand for infrastructure, and the need for sustainable development all require careful consideration.

Sharing good practice can help other governments build certainty, pace, and efficiency in infrastructure procurement and delivery.

Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Netherlands are examples of countries where one or more government departments have put effective measures in place.

The ICE convened the Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) programme to help governments look beyond the uncertainties of the day to develop stable, sustainable, and investable infrastructure project pipelines.

To better understand how and when governments can make best use of the guidance, the ICE convened a roundtable of experts, chaired by the EBI steering group chair and ICE senior vice president, Prof Jim Hall.

We asked attendees:

• How does EBI guidance reinforce the value of strategic infrastructure planning for governments worldwide?
• In what ways does the EBI guidance open up new opportunities for governments when strengthening strategic infrastructure planning and why?
• What does the EBI guidance offer governments and other influential stakeholders when re-prioritising an infrastructure pipeline?
• What are some of the key challenges for using the EBI guidance to change strategic infrastructure planning at the national level of government? What steps can be taken to overcome these?
• How does EBI guidance support governments in taking a nature-positive approach to infrastructure? Which case studies embody EBI principles?