پروژه های عظیم تعریف شده – پیچیدگی در مقابل هزینه و ضرورت اجتماعی Megaprojects redefined- complexity versus cost- and social imperatives

1. Multifaceted aspects of defining Megaprojects In the past, historical megaprojects have left many famous landmarks: the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China and so on. Since ancient times it seems that a number of civilizations have had a fascination with large-scale monuments, buildings, activities and events, usually as defensive or symbolic expressions of power and status. The appeal of megaprojects persists globally in current times with advocacy from both political and developer proponents expressed for example through large-scale urban transformation projects and substantial financial expenditure. Megaprojects have been broadly described as “large-scale, complex investments that typically cost a billion dollars and up, take many years to develop and build, involve multiple public and private stakeholders, are transformational, and impact millions of people” (Flyvbjerg, 2014a). It is, however, not the cost but the complexity that marks out a megaproject. The intricacies arise from the politics associated with funding, managing and governing complex social and organisational relations. Involvement ranges from committed stakeholders amongst the contractors and civic authorities to those that are resistant, embedded in existing communities, social movements and advocacy organizations. This paper aims to present a brief snap shot of what megaprojects mean in today’s terms. It outlines the commone problems, key characteristics benefits that are intended as well as misgivings about the problems that such projects present, together with ideas around solutions for maximising benefits and minimising the more challenging issues. Cost is often seen as the criteria for deeming something a megaproject. For instance, both the European Union (EU) and the International Project Management Association (IPMA2011) explain them in these terms. A megaproject is defined, across all industries, as one for which the benchmark, is that it costs more than ‘100 million euros’ (Hu et al, 2015). However, this is not really satisfactory: a 100 million Euros spent on a project in a deserted territory or one that suffers under highly authoritarian rule is hardly the same as one conducted in a democracy in which there are active citizens. The classification of megaprojects needs to be more nuanced, taking into account the trajectory of the term in academic and practitioner publications.