Toward Sustainable Infrastructural Megaprojects

SDG 9 (on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) calls for resilient infrastructures, leading to inclusive and sustainable industrialization. The recent literature on megaproject social responsibility (MSR) is in harmony with studies on SDGs’ interconnections. The great economic, political, and organizational complexity and magnitude of megaprojects require, on the one hand, very fine-tuning with all stakeholders involved from the very initial phases of the project; on the other hand, it appears clear that megaprojects striving for social, economic, and environmentally sustainable development, if well-executed, would likely connect with other SDGs, such as SDG 8 (on Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 11 (on Sustainable Cities and Communities). These aspects assume even more relevance when neglected local communities perceive a megaproject as imposed on them and on their territory and are likely to develop manifestations as a consequence of the “Not in My Backyard” (NIMBY) phenomenon, which can lead to a megaproject to be halted, cancelled, or postponed.