Background Information

What are Super Projects?
As defined by WDF, super projects are global mega-projects involving a capital investment of $1 billion or more, or which reflect innovative solutions or technological breakthroughs having worldwide importance. Super projects include the world’s major infrastructure and facility ventures. Often, they have a significant economic impact within countries or regions. Many link remote areas of the world, create cooperation between and among regions and produce profound effects on global economies.

Through its own research and the assistance of project participants around the world, WDF has identified more than 1,600 global super projects. The impact of these massive ventures is often vast and controversial.

Types of super projects include:

• Transportation: bridges, tunnels, highways, high-speed rail lines

• Energy and water: dams, power plants, desalination plants

• Urban development: waterfront and offshore developments, high-rise and underground, mixed-use, new towns

• Environmental: reclamation, enhancement

• Resort and tourism development: global events, resort facilities

• Communications: satellite, fiber-optic and other systems

Are you Involved in a Super Project?
If you’re involved in development and you haven’t already been part of a super project, chances are you will be. Participation in a super project does not mean you spend $1 billion plus. Super projects are a collaborative effort by numerous individuals and organizations. Some provide direct sponsorship, management of implementation services; others provide products.

The Global Super Projects Conference:
Where Industry Leaders Meet.
In pursuit of its objectives, WDF annually organizes the Global Super Projects Conference (GSPC). Some of the most exciting cities in the world have been sites for the Global Super Projects Conference, including Paris (1997), San Francisco (1996), Osaka (1995), Barcelona (1994), Singapore (1993) and Honolulu (1992). An integral part of each program is the opportunity to visit local area super projects in the host cities.

WDF’s annual Global Super Projects Conference brings together super project developers, planners, service providers and leading experts in international development. Through the general sessions and industry specific workshops delegates learn more about the latest technologies and innovative solutions being employed in the development of global super projects. Daily refreshment breaks and luncheons provide delegates an opportunity to network with their peers from around the world. Representatives from 32 different countries have attended one or more of the past conferences.

WDF’s primary objective in holding Global Super Projects Conferences is to create a powerful forum to begin the exploration and discovery of more efficient ways for identification and implementation of the world’s most important projects. A key element of each program is how to implement projects in harmony with the environment.

Valuable Resources

SiteNet is Conway Data’s home on the World Wide Web. SiteNet provides access to more than 20,000 documents and files on international development organizations, global super projects, service providers, conference schedules and agendas, as well as educational programs and research materials for strategic planners.

Connect to SiteNet at: http://www.sitenet.com and select WDF from the menu bar for information on WDF activities and reports.