COMMUNICATION AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN TUNNEL DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION

With the increasing number of underground works all over the world and a growing awareness of the need for efficient communication with the populations and the stakeholders concerned, engaging in dialogue has become necessary at all stages of a project: ideation, funding, design, construction and operation.

A one-day course on "Communication and Stakeholder Engagement" was held on 4th May 2019 as a WTC 2019 pre-congress event and was organized by the ITACET Foundation in collaboration with the Italian Tunnelling Society (SIG) and the ITA-CET Committee. The primary aim was to provide information on the latest communication techniques and approaches that can be applied to foster interaction amongst stakeholders, within the scope of a major underground works project. 

The morning session was chaired by the Vice Chairman of the ITA-CET Committee, Mr Michel Deffayet, and kicked off with two separate looks at recent trends in effectively communciating on a project, presented by Messrs. Jarre and Mezzalama, followed by Ms. Aresu and M. Distefano. ITACUS chairs, Antonia Cornaro and Han Admiraal, then went on to explain how it is important to demonstrate the value and benefits to society of major underground works and how showcasing the workers that make things happen can help to "humanize" such projects. The example of the North-South Amsterdam metro line was presented as a good example of how communication can make or break a project. The two ITACUS representatives explained the current importance of making the most out of social networks and other forms of media (You Tube, blogs...), providing real-life examples of how they can not only make the project visible, but also enable exchange with the public, adding to the project's social credibility.

The importance of integrating and communicating on sustainability issues was presented by Messrs Kane and Orsenigo along with Ms. Santini, through a look at the Envision framework, that provides guidance on the planning, design and delivery of sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

The participants then had the chance to hear the viewpoint of a journalist M. R. Herr (below, right), whose stage antics led to an entertaining presentation on how to improve relations between the press and project owners.

The afternoon's session was chaired by SIG President, Andrea Pigorini, along with M. Pietro Jarre, Chairman of Global Studio TCA  LLP (Uk). Lectures focused on case studies of communication on major tunnelling and underground space projects, such as the Brenner tunnel (M. R. Zurlo), various Swiss Alpine tunnels (M. H. Ehrbar), the ongoing Lyon-Turin rail tunnel project (presented by TELT Director General, Monsieur Mario Vivano - below left), the Alaskan Way project (M. G. Clark) and a large underground disposal facility in South Korea (M. C. Yoo).

Question and answer slots enabled the 35 participants to put their questions to the speakers and led to lively debates and interaction. 

The ITACET Foundation wishes to thank the organizers and lecturers for making this event a success.

To see the detailed programme, please visit: http://www.wtc2019.com/conference/itacet-training-course

Below left: Mr Mario Vivano - Director General of TELT, Below right: Mr Roland Herr - journalist