Contemporary megaprojects

Abstract

Th ere is renewed interest in megaprojects worldwide. In contrast to highmodernist megaprojects that were discrete projects undertaken by centralized authorities, contemporary megaprojects are oft en decentralized and pursued by a range of stakeholders from governments as well as the private sector. Th ey leverage cutting-edge technology to 'see' complex systems as legible and singular phenomena. As a result, they are more ambitious, more pervasive and they have the potential to reconfi gure longstanding relationships that have animated social and ecological systems. The articles in this issue explore the novel features of contemporary megaprojects, they show how the proponents of contemporary megaprojects aspire to technologically enabled omnipresence, and they document the resistance that megaprojects have provoked.