Twenty-first century civil engineering: An overview of who, what, and where

Abstract

From the erection of the Ggantija temples and development of the Roman aqueducts to the design and construction of One World Trade Center and the expansion of the Panama Canal, civil engineers have played a crucial role in improving people's quality of life. The civil engineer of the past operated in a less complex world and relied more on ingenuity and trial and error. As societal needs have evolved and the world has become more complicated, the materials, methods, and technology used by engineers have had to become more sophisticated and specialized. The civil engineering profession has evolved to meet these needs developing several sub-disciplines over the years, with individuals in each of these specialization areas increasingly being tasked with new and broader responsibilities to meet the ever growing challenges in today's society. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the recent past and current demographics of the civil engineering work force and its sub-disciplines and use the information to draw conclusions on future trends and needs. First, the paper compares demographic data from the past decade, focusing on the Civil Engineering discipline as a whole. Subsequent sections discuss changes, advances, and the future direction of some of the sub-disciplines, including Construction Management, Environmental, Structural, Geotechnical, Transportation, and Water Resources. The paper concludes with predictions into the next decade on the outlook for civil engineering as a function of location, type of industry, and comparison to other engineering disciplines. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.