Rochelle Spencer

Roads to the Future is funded by the Australian Research Council (grant number DP230100568) to conduct comparative analysis of new road-building schemes in Africa and countries of the Indian Ocean Rim, a key region of economic and strategic importance to Australia. It is looking at their economic, environmental, social, health and governance impacts, and in so doing is creating benefits for communities living adjacent to these road projects. Currently, there is no way of knowing if these projects are achieving their claimed economic benefits, what environmental, health and social impacts they are having, or how they are reshaping regional geo-politics. This research will place Australia at the forefront of sustainable international development at a time when China and Russia are investing billions in development finance, and the G7 launches A$900 billion in investments in sustainable infrastructure in low-income economies. It will provide insights and evidence for forecasting the impacts of new road projects at home, especially in remote communities.