Insights | What does it take to create a resilient Asia Pacific?

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Achieving long-term resilience for Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific remains the fastest growing region in the world^[1], marked by economic development, technological advancements, and increasing global influence. Its resilience is critical. The strength of economies and communities, efficiency of supply chains, and the security of industries and borders, relies on it.

How are countries, economies and communities in Asia Pacific responding to growth? How prepared are they to anticipate, withstand, and bounce back from shocks or disruptions they experience? How will advancements and investment provide opportunities to foster resilience?

These questions are explored in our insights that consider what it takes to create a resilient Asia Pacific region.

Discover what it takes

The challenges

Current challenges and opportunities for the region

Disparate growth trajectories across countries in Asia are against the backdrop of new cities, rapid urbanisation, and uplift. A delicate balance is required between growth and sustainable design and construction in highly populated countries such as Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.

Conversely, in Singapore and Thailand, with strong support for innovation, there is an openness to investment and advancing industries. In Malaysia and Hong Kong, there is an opportunity to further optimise and align infrastructure to conserve wildlife habitats and landscapes, and minimise disruption to communities.

Kuala Lumpur's Klang River: The Public Outreach Programme aims to help reconnect people to the river.

Achieving a resilient Asia Pacific takes an unconventional approach to shift the way we think, do and collaborate.

Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of being recognised for thinking differently about how infrastructure is developed for, and with, communities and iwi. The task ahead is to highlight the factors that make the country unique and apply these to its ageing infrastructure, so it can be upgraded at pace, and in the event of disasters, built back better. Attracting international and private finance is a challenge to overcome, confidence and speed is important to ensure the country remains attractive to invest in.

In the context of Australia, the Economic Strategy to 2040 outlines a practical pathway to significantly increase two-way trade and investment between Australia and Southeast Asia. There are both significant opportunities and pressing challenges. Key areas of consideration include building industry capability, removing blockages to trade, and deepening investment. This is reinforced by the need to have government, industry and academia take collective action to strengthen economic, supply chain, environmental and social outcomes.

A resilient Asia Pacific: What does it take?

Trusted relationships

Deepening relationships, connections, and supply chains for mutual benefit while strengthening engagement and investment across public and private sectors.

Compelling narratives and visions for communities

Adding value to local economies, communities, and the environment by sourcing locally, while building on the unique strengths of each country.

Progress through action

Execution, vision, and collaboration delivers tangible productivity outcomes, while rethinking the delivery of infrastructure provides a gateway for resilient investments.

Capacity building and mobilising of expertise

Leveraging collective expertise to enhance the strength and competitiveness of Asia Pacific.

Collective knowledge to withstanding impacts

Fostering technology, design, innovation and learnings to reduce future impacts on economies, industries, ecosystems and communities.

Resilient economies and supply chains

Ports are critical for global supply chains. Elisha Bellchambers, Scott Collins and Arne Nilsen discuss our partnership with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance delivering asset renewal and resilience for heritage-recognised Hay Point Terminal in Queensland.

Unconventional climate-smart engineering and circular economy thinking has extended the asset’s life by 50 years, enhanced its resilience and protected the Great Barrier Reef from new development. 

Resilient communities

At the 2024 Disaster & Emergency Management Conference, we asked, 'What does a resilient community mean to you?' Responses were varied and layered.

Resilience is not just recovering from challenges. It’s also about growing stronger through them, with a foundation of preparedness which is driven by innovation and truly listening to people’s needs.

Lessons in resilience with Engineers Without Borders

Meet Aurecon engineers Benjamin Sawrey, Sofie Thielemans and Echo Chen. They embarked on an immersive study tour in Vanuatu with Engineers Without Borders to gain an insight into the resilience challenges that communities face from a changing climate in the Pacific.

Hear how they're applying their learnings to their work at Aurecon.

Explore insights

More insights

Jodie Bricout and Wayne Hubbard discussing actions to transition to a circular economy in Australia.

Five ambitious actions to transition to a circular economy in Australia

Australia can learn from Europe’s lead to take large-scale demonstrations of circular economy from theory into practice.

Building the bridges to Asia’s future prosperity

Bridge design is crucial to the advancement of Asia’s economy, where increasingly innovative solutions are engineered for the region’s unique geography.

How AI could interpret data and support informed decision-making for product certification.

Data for Decarbonisation: How AI can secure a hydrogen future

Find out how AI can revolutionise carbon management in hydrogen supply chains by measuring the carbon intensity and supporting product certification.

Energy yield is a fundamental concept in the renewable energy industry across Asia.

Energy yield analysis is critical for Asia's wind farm developments

Energy yield analysis is crucial to Asia's energy transition, helping investors manage the risks associated with large-scale renewable energy infrastructure.

Woman and children playing with water from hose.

What do Australians think of purified recycled water?

Aurecon's report investigates Australian attitudes towards purified recycled water as an alternative water source to supplement drinking water supply.

The need for speed: what is driving Asia’s accelerating economies

The rise of Asian economies teaches businesses that to win the economic recovery race and thrive in the future, they have to learn to absorb change and fast.

Listen to our podcasts

Nicolas Buchoud and Michael Nolan discuss the growing importance of resilient infrastructure.

Ep.67 Resilient infrastructure: protecting the future of our communities

Grand Paris Alliance for Metropolitan Development President Nicolas Buchoud shares his expert insights on the significance of resilient infrastructure systems.

Andrew Salveson from Carollo Engineers talks about purified recycle water schemes.

Ep.64 Water security – what role can purified recycled water play?

Andrew Salveson from Carollo Engineers talks to Ryan Signor about how purified recycled water can help mitigate potential water crises

Tony Wood talks to Aurecon professionals on the economics of energy transition.

Ep.63 Economics of the energy transition

Tony Wood and Paul Gleeson delve into the economics of energy transition and the pivotal role of decarbonising electricity in achieving sustainability targets.

How we help create a resilient Asia Pacific

At Aurecon, we work with clients across Asia Pacific to foster resilience that supports sustainable development alongside growth. Whether it's enhancing water and energy resilience, bolstering supply chains, or working with communities, Aurecon’s approach is founded on our cross-region connections, insights and experience.

There is much to learn and share about how to create a resilient Asia Pacific. Our work sees us engage with a wide range of clients, stakeholders and partners to collectively devise solutions that are not just about immediate response; but rather, intrinsically linked to long-term resilience.

To find out more, contact one of our team.