The Impact of Collaboration on Sustainable Development: Sydney Metro Case Study

This paper mainly focusses on the transport sector, which is a component of civil engineering, particularly railway transport, utilizing the case study of Sydney Metro. Sydney Metro is a fully automated metro system, popularly known as driverless train situated in Australia. The paper discusses the role of industries in promoting sustainable development and the need for collaboration between industries and communities. It also highlights the importance of environmental sustainability and the role of industries in mitigating environmental degradation. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for collaboration between industries and communities in creating sustainable development.

The Impact of Collaboration on Sustainable Development 1
The Impact of Collaboration on Sustainable Development: Sydney Metro Case Study
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The Impact of Collaboration on Sustainable Development: Sydney Metro Case Study
A major area of contestation for almost all industries is that the earnings accrue mostly at
the national level despite most of the disruptions being made at the local level. This imbalance
has always been a key area of debate at various governance levels even though there has not
been much success in finding a solution. Apart from robbing the local communities an
opportunity to benefit from their resources, the trend of retaining most of the profits at the
national level is to a great extent answerable to the unfavorable conditions at the local
community level. The question of sustainable development at the local communities that host
industries is an area requiring collaborative efforts between both the communities and the
industries that thrive there. Industries have an obligation to encourage sustainable development
at the community within which they exist. The responsibility of enhancing sustainable
development entails much and not only industry being able to meet its corporate social
responsibility. The industry leadership holds a critical role in establishing and maintaining
sustainable development mostly through seeking links with the immediate communities and
establishing shared goals, interests, and values that work in favor of sustainable development.
This paper mainly focusses on the transport sector, which is a component of civil engineering,
particularly railway transport, utilizing the case study of Sydney Metro. Sydney Metro is a fully
automated metro system, popularly known as driverless train situated in Australia.
Sydney Metro, in its environment and sustainability policy, proves to be cognizant of its
role in sustainable development and clearly outlines its role in the policy document. Sydney
Metro commits itself to service not only to its customers but also the local community. It intends
to provide desirable, safe, and convenient transport services to all its customers. At the
community level, the transport provider commits to establishing good links with the community

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not only for its benefit but also to add value to the community. The commitment by Sydney is a
true reflection of how industries should strive to meet the established principle of collaborating
with local communities to ensure the achievement of sustainable development.
Constant industry acts can easily lead to the creation of resilient communities despite
how hard it may appear to accomplish. Generally, it is always a daunting task to establish
resilient communities both in terms of scope and application (Schneider, et al., 2008). Therefore,
it is always necessary to examine useful efforts carefully to inform the intended strategy.
Critically, the industries that exist within communities hold the claim that they have not created a
sustainable development for themselves and find it hard even to play the slightest role in
promoting sustainable development within the community. Clearly, both the industries and
communities undergo similar challenges in the path towards sustainable development. It
becomes therefore hard for the former to prioritize the needs of the latter at its own expense. The
responsibility of industry in community sustainable development is neither an area of
contestation nor debatable. Therefore, the industry only requires to apply certain strategies to
make a contribution to sustainable community development. Firstly, the industry has to
recognize and appreciate that it has a responsibility towards sustainable development. Secondly,
the industry should seek avenues for integration and engagement with the community. Thirdly,
the community has to employ well-examined strategies and constantly measure and assess the
progress of the approaches. Lastly, the industry ought to communicate and maintain good
relationships with key stakeholders. By so doing, efforts and experiences are leveraged to give
rise to resilience in communities hence sustainable development.
Industries have always been viewed as change agents, especially in the communities
within which they are located. Organisations are believed to hold a certain level of responsibility

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towards the communities that host then not only economically but also generally and are
expected to spearhead development at all spheres of life. Apart from satisfying the corporate
social responsibilities, industries are encouraged to maintain cordial relationships with the
community and participate in community projects. In this sense, industries are incorporated into
the systems of communities and end up sharing similar interests and values. The partnerships
between industries and communities are known to give rise to milestone projects. In the 21st
century, many industries have risen to giant organisations with great impacts. The industries play
a key role in shaping communities into being favorable residing areas. If caution is not taken,
these industries can also make life within their environment unfavorable, especially through
pollution (Pisani, et al., 2009). Both the communities and industries need to collaborate to
establish both sustainable production and sustainable development. Industries having caused
most of the environmental problems being experienced currently are answerable and hold the
most appropriate solutions for the problems.
Industries are perceived as members of the communities within which they exist and
must in one way or the other contribute to the wellbeing of the community. When an industry is
set up in a community, it is obviously shaped by the trends in the given community (Schmitz, et
al., 2010, p. 6). Similarly, the activities of the industry affect the community either positively or
negatively. On this note, industries have to take certain decisions that shape the working of the
community, just like the community makes decisions that affect the working of the community.
An industry is membered to a community both by virtue of existence and interests. Collaboration
between the industry and the community is, therefore, crucial for mutual benefits. Industries
thrive well in communities where they have established a cordial relationship because the two
entities hold a common understanding. Environmental sustainability is a prominent issue that

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requires all community members to develop plans and implement them in collaboration to ensure
success. Any industry must take part in all stages of the preservation of natural resources as the
industry buildings are situated within a natural environment whose degradation has serious
consequences to the entire population.
Over the past few years, the research on sustainable development has intensified, leading
to the calls to change how the issue of sustainable development is being addressed. Even though
the trends have seemingly been placing too much blame on the industries, the blames are worth a
consideration (Goni, et al., 2008, p. 194). Industries play a big role in environmental degradation,
which consequently results in low sustainable development. Just the way the industries have
contributed to the lowering of the quality of life, they should be ready to address the problems
that emanate from their activities. Critically, industries in the race for economic prowess buried
the value attached to environmental diversity. They should be on the upfront to bear the
consequences and help rebuild the destroyed environments. Industries have always portrayed
high levels of knowledge in environmental exploitation, and they obviously have the best
answers for environmental restoration. In this line of thought, industries are the most appropriate
players in spearheading sustainable development.
The world has been undergoing rapid changes in the past few centuries that have given
rise to complex systems. The developed complex systems require equally complex intervention
measures in an event where they fail. The concept of sustainable development has been shaped
by a number of factors such as globalization and needs to be discussed at a slightly higher level,
compared to the past (Jovovic, et al., 2007, p. 261). In the past five decades, it is undeniable that
the world has become much aware of environmental problems. The awareness has nothing to do
with just a mere discovery. The realization is as a result of greater environmental problems that

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press the populations much harder compared to the past. At the local level, communities can
hardly conceptualize the issue of sustainable development on their own. As a result, there have
been calls for local industries to participate actively in encouraging sustainable development
simply because they have a higher capacity to do so. Industries are made up of various entities
that are well-endowed with the knowledge of environmental issues though at times they act
obliviously towards environmental threats. Greater problems require well-calculated solutions to
avoid mistakes, which may lead to more costs.
Promoting sustainable development is a major pillar that is often emphasized in the
global agenda for social development. Organisations in the modern era are bestowed with the
responsibility to act in the interest of the global mission especially in creating more favourable
environments for communities which host them (Jones, 2008, p. 473). Communities, more often,
look upon the industries established within their environments for help not only financially but
also socially. Social work events that are organized by industries usually fetch more attention
from the communities leading to increased participation. Social work is very key in establishing
sustainable development in any community. Once community members are mobilized towards a
common goal by an organization, they work very diligently compared to when they do it by
themselves. Organisations, especially those with large and revered brands, are momentous in
mobilizing communities for social work. Through social work, communities identify more with
the brands that exist within them.
The partnership between the communities and the industries around them is an ideal
avenue for negotiating on the most sustainable industrial practices that will leave little or no
footprint on the environment (Sertyesilisik, 2009, p. 3320). The community needs to be
consulted on issues that are thought to lead to environmental deterioration. The community

The Impact of Collaboration on Sustainable Development 7
members have the best understanding of the trends in their environment and can provide
necessary insights in planning for the future. Evaluating the past trends helps in mitigating the
activities that are likely to affect the environment negatively.
The partnership between communities and industries offers a closer look at
environmental problems and sets sustainability as an ethical issue that must be pursued.
Collaboration leads to a deeper assessment of issues which necessitates the application of actions
that are best suited for the set goals. Both the community and industry establish a definite goal
and work together towards achieving it. Despite their successes, collaborations are costly
engagements are costly, limited to problem solving and, in most cases, slow down decision-
making. When collaborations are embraced, there is always a chain of command and parties at
different levels must always be consulted. These consultations not only slow down decision-
making but also require financial funding. Collaborations only work best in problem solving and
leaves other intervention strategies unattended.
Conclusion
The Collaboration between industries and communities has been critical in creating
sustainable development. The collaboration is, however, not always easy as some industries at
times, view it as an exploitative involvement. This perception arises from the fact that industries
view their success in terms of good financial proceeds. The links between communities and
industries have always indicated a positive influence on the growth of industry brands. The fact
that the engagement does not always lead to improvement to increased profits despite the growth
of a brand makes industries to rethink their participation in community activities. However, in
most cases, the communities and industries benefit from their cordial relation.

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Jones, D. N., 2008. Promoting community and environmental sustainability. International Social
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Jovovic, R., Draskovic, M. & Delibasic, M., 2007. The concept of sustainable regional. Journal
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Pisani, N., Kolk, A. & Kourula, A., 2009. Multinational enterprises and the Sustainable
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Schmitz, C. L., Stinson, C. H. & James, C. D., 2010. Community and Environmental
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