Infrastructure must be built not only for today, but for future generations.
That’s the message from Minister of Works and Infrastructure, Jearlean John, who says Government’s Revitalisation Blueprint is focused on creating resilient communities, stronger infrastructure and long-term economic growth.
Speaking at the Trinidad and Tobago Disaster Risk Management Conference and Expo on Monday, Minister John described the T&T Revitalisation Blueprint as a contract with the future, emphasising that resilience must be embedded at every stage of infrastructure development.
She stressed that sustainable growth cannot be built on fragile infrastructure.
“It is measured by the discipline of the requirements written into the Requests For Proposals, the standards imposed on the design team, the surveys required before construction, the safeguards demanded during implementation, and the systems put in place for long-term operation and maintenance. That is where policy becomes engineering. That is where vision becomes bankable, buildable, durable, and we bridge knowledge and action.”
The Minister added that the Blueprint also prioritises the use of nature-based solutions, where they are technically appropriate, economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
“Along waterfronts, this may mean preserving or restoring ecological buffers, using plants for the hedges where wave energy permits, integrated storm water treatments into landscape public realm, using green infrastructure to reduce run-off, and designing open spaces that temporarily store water during heavy rainfall. Along highways and rural access corridors, it may mean stabilising slopes with vegetation in combination with engineered measures protecting riverbanks, maintaining drainage corridor, and reducing uncontrolled run-offs that undermine pavements, bridge approaches.”
According to Minister John, the success of the Revitalisation Programme will not be measured by economic growth alone but by its ability to deliver safe, inclusive and sustainable development.
“It must produce development that is safe, equitable, attractive and functional. It must create waterfronts that invite public life without compromising safety. It must create transport corridors that connect rather than divide communities. It must create buildings that are energy efficient, accessible and durable. It must create opportunities for women, young people, local professionals, small contractors and communities. It must protect the environment while unlocking economic value. It must respect the old wisdom that good infrastructure is not only built for the present administration or a future administration but for those who come after us.”
The three-day event at the Hyatt Regency features more than 50 speakers, all focused on solutions and strategies to shift from disaster management to risk management, under the theme: “Resilience 360: Bridging Knowledge and Action.”