Brazil is a country currently enjoying enormous economic growth and is fast becoming one of the most important economic powers in the world. Yet the country still suffers from a large variety of economic and social problems such as an enormous wealth disparity, corruption, and environmental issues such as heavy deforestation of rainforests and pollution. This leads us to the question how the country is currently dealing with these issues and is preparing for a sustainable future. This study tour will therefore focus on the following theme:

“Foundations for a Sustainable Future”

Participants of the study tour will research the degree to which sustainability in economic, social, and environmental terms is included in civil engineering projects in Brazil. Participants will discuss these issues in advance- and during the study tour with companies in the sector. They will compare the situation in Brazil to the situation in the Netherlands and will record their findings in a preliminary- and final report.

Objective and research question

Following from the theme, the main objective of the study tour 2010 is:

“To develop a clear understanding of the role sustainability plays in civil engineering projects in Brazil and how this compares to the Netherlands”

We define sustainability in this context as the way in which the future is taken into consideration on economic, social, and environmental level in current civil engineering projects around Brazil. The three main areas of sustainability as the theory of the three P’s defines (see the image on the right) are the main subthemes throughout this research.