The FPS Podcast: Anusha Shah

In this episode of the Federation of Piling Specialists Podcast, Chair of the FPS Steve Hadley is joined by Anusha Shah, Director of Resilient Cities at Arcadis and future President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 

The current focus of ICE under President Rachel Skinner is on net zero carbon emissions. Anusha has always had a passion for the environment and she will continue this work by focussing on resilient cities. In this conversation, she talks about what lessons we can learn from projects around the world - for example, how the Netherlands are constantly redeveloping their flood defences rather than reacting once a flood has happened, and about the East Coast Resilience Project in New York which is looking to create multi-functional structures where a flood defence is integrated with open space that the public can use as beauty spots too. 

She also talks about her involvement with the Thames Estuary Partnership and the Tideway Project - and what effects this project will have on the quality of the water in the River Thames once it's completed.

Finally, Anusha speaks about gender diversity and inclusive design and how this is an issue that needs to be tackled by society as a whole, not just in the construction industry. She discusses fairness, inclusion, BAME representation and respect. She concludes that we made the systems, so we can remake them too.