Construction engineers driving into the 21st century

Constructors and civil engineers have made significant contributions to the quality of life everywhere. Their role has changed from that of scientists and project managers to coowners and financiers. The next incremental and perhaps final change has to be that of making policy and not carrying out directives by others. This evolving role must lead the constructor engineer to become a part of the decision-making bodies to chose the project rather than execute them only. Constructors and engineers designed well-planned cities of yore, that people love to tour and visit, well before the advent of planners. In the future they will have to do so again. Urban sprawl as presently planned is just not feasible. This paper discusses the role of the constructor/engineer in the next 25 years, toward the year 2020, and argues for a change in the passive role of the constructor/engineer as an educator, innovator, policymaker, and decision maker to an active one in charting societal changes driving into the beginning of the next millennium.