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The Four Sublimes of Megaprojects
Why megaprojects keep booming globally
Why are megaprojects so attractive to decision makers?
Megaprojects are booming globally. What drives this boom? Why are megaprojects so attractive to decision makers?
The answer lies in what I call the “four sublimes” of megaprojects.
The first of these, the technological sublime, is a term variously attributed to Miller and Marx (no, not that Marx!) to describe the positive historical reception of technology in American culture during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.*
The technological sublime is the rapture engineers get from building projects that push the boundaries for what technology can do
Karen Trappenberg Frick introduced the term to the study of megaprojects and here describes the technological sublime as the rapture engineers and technologists get from building large and innovative projects with their rich opportunities for pushing the boundaries for what technology can do, like building the tallest building, the longest bridge, the fastest aircraft, the largest wind turbine, or the first of anything.
Frick applied the concept in a case study of the multi-billion-dollar New San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, concluding “the technological sublime dramatically influenced bridge design, project outcomes, public debate, and the lack of accountability for its [the bridge’s] excessive cost overruns.”
I propose three additional sublimes, beginning with the political sublime, which I define as the rapture politicians get from building monuments to themselves and their causes.
Politicians seem to enjoy few things better than cutting the ribbon of a megaproject
Megaprojects are manifest, garner attention, and lend an air of proactiveness to their promoters. Moreover, they are media magnets, which appeals to politicians who seem to enjoy few things better than the visibility they get from starting megaprojects. Except maybe cutting the ribbon of one in the company of royals or presidents…
