From an element of progress to environmental impact and media- fuelled conflict

Abstract

In society.s perception, engineering has evolved from a discipline equated with progress to an activity that has an adverse impact on the environment. The role of the meaning of engineering works in relation to the landscape is relevant to that evolution, in terms both of initial significance and subsequent socialization; i.e., the meaning attached to each type of work transcends specific projects. As a result, the construction of large-scale public works sometimes sparks controversy in societies in need of solutions, but reluctant to assume the environmental costs involved. The amplification and over-simplification of such controversy by the media have severe effects on subsequent proposals that can only be understood in the context of prior social dissatisfaction. The outcome is that planners are obliged to seek solutions that do not generate conflicts as the only avenue for meeting infrastructure needs.