NI Year of Infrastructure is a fantastic opportunity to promote, discuss and take action on plans over the next 12 months.
Here's a little bit on what it's all about...
Infra2018 has been developed to help tell the story of infrastructure and create better awareness amongst the Northern Ireland public of how it transforms our lives. Throughout the year-long initiative, the underlying theme is how social and economic infrastructure makes Northern Ireland liveable.
Each month in 2018 will have a different theme to tie in with major events throughout the year starting in February with Water – exploring how we get it, how to make the most of it and how to protect the natural cycle. An interactive website - www.infra2018.org - has also been created to show the public how the home, and our quality of life, is made livable through infrastructure.
As part of the launch of Infra2018, a fully representative survey of over 1,000 adults (16+) was commissioned with results showing that a third of those surveyed were unable to cite any unprompted association with the term infrastructure. When asked to give examples of projects that help improve lives, people living west of the Bann were three times more likely to cite the development of A5 and A6 dual carriageways, and twice as likely to reference the building of new motorways, compared to the remainder of the sample. Residents of Belfast were twice as likely to cite the building of new hospitals when asked about infrastructure projects that would make Northern Ireland a better place, compared to the rest of those surveyed.
Richard Kirk, Regional Director of the Institution of Civil Engineers said: “As the recent study revealed, a third of people in Northern Ireland don’t have any top of mind associations concerning infrastructure. It is everywhere we look and the kind of things we take for granted including water, power supply, roads, schools, hospitals, bridges and railways.
Through Infra2018: NI Year of Infrastructure, we aim to show the Northern Ireland public how infrastructure connects, protects and enables investment and tourism and builds our quality of life. And a good way to start educating people on infrastructure is by bringing it into their home. When we use our taps, toilets, light switches, gas or broadband we expect them to work and this is thanks to infrastructure,” Richard continued.
“To help with this learning process, we have created a dedicated website providing lots of fun information and people can even put in their postcode to find out where your water has come from, how long it takes to get to you and where it ends up once you’ve used it. We also hope the campaign will inspire the next generation to get involved in infrastructure and encourage them to consider a career in this exciting industry,” Richard added.