Browse Case Studies

This case study illustrates Guiding Principle 8: Fiscal Sustainability and Innovative Financing and is part of a series of ten case studies which aim to inform the forthcoming wave of global infrastructure investment. Collectively, they specify and demonstrate how environmental, social and economic sustainability must be integrated right across infrastructure policymaking at the systems-level. The individual principles and case studies were developed via ongoing global consultation and inputs from experts and UN Member States, as part of implementation of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 4/5 on Sustainable Infrastructure.

This case study illustrates Guiding Principle 10: Evidence-Based Decision-Making and is part of a series of ten case studies which aim to inform the forthcoming wave of global infrastructure investment. Collectively, they specify and demonstrate how environmental, social and economic sustainability must be integrated right across infrastructure policymaking at the systems-level. The individual principles and case studies were developed via ongoing global consultation and inputs from experts and UN Member States, as part of implementation of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 4/5 on Sustainable Infrastructure.

Zimbabwe’s social infrastructure services have historically been constrained by persistent energy shortages. Healthcare has been among the systems most affected by this massive power deficit. To help address these issues, in 2017, Zimbabwe began implementing the Solar for Health (S4H) Initiative with the United Nations Development Programme to harness the...

Iran occupies a large expanse of predominantly arid or semi-arid land in West Asia. In this geographic context, qanats – traditional water systems for transporting and distributing water from sources in upland areas to dry plains – have historically provided a solution that sustains livelihoods and economic opportunities.

This case...

Chile has established large national parks and other protected areas and has increasingly incorporated different dimensions of sustainability into public policy. The country is home to nine indigenous groups: Aymara, Atacameño, Quechua, Diaguita, Kolla, Rapa Nui, Mapuche, Kawéskar and Yagán, and the regions they inhabit often lie hundreds of kilometres...

This report showcases 13 projects covering eight fields, namely, biodiversity and ecosystem, clean energy, clean water, sustainable transportation, solid waste treatment, sustainable consumption and production, green buildings, and corporate social responsibility.

The decades of rapid economic growth in Vietnam have been accompanied by urbanization and spatial transformation. In dealing with urbanization, the country has mounted an impressive record of keeping rural–urban and regional disparities in check through the promotion of rural industrialization and central transfers aimed at poorer areas. These transfers have allowed the expansion of basic services and infrastructure. The recommendations in this report have three layers: two policy principles, two overarching strategies, and three areas of policy actions.

The main objective of this report is to understand how a variety of developing and emerging economies are successfully utilising horizontal integration—across multiple infrastructure sectors and systems—at the metropolitan scale to deliver greater sustainability. This report explores how integrated planning processes extending well beyond city boundaries have been financed and implemented in a diverse group of metropolitan areas.

The case study analyses the links between infrastructure development, deforestation, governance, and security challenges in the Brazilian Amazon.

The case study lays out the challenges and opportunities for Colombia, exploring the connection between deforestation and security, governance, and infrastructure development and the implications for stabilization in Colombia.