Planning and learning in major infrastructure development: systems perspectives

Abstract Achieving innovation and success in infrastructure development requires fresh perspectives. The paper introduces three systems perspectives based on the concepts of large-scale living systems, hard systematic thinking, and soft systemic methodology. These perspectives provide powerful mental frames of reference that assist in the diagnosis, structuring, and understanding of the nature and characteristics of major infrastructure development, the planning and learning processes, and the key success factors. These systems perspectives are illustrated by some Singapore experience that mainly consists of the lessons learned from the development of the international airport and the mass rapid transit systems.