Introduction

On 2 July 2008, I gave a talk on the links between sustainability and good management at a CIRIA1 seminar in London. Despite the interesting content of my talk and my brilliant delivery(!), I did not manage to fire up or excite the delegates; because on that day, the construction industry in the UK fell off a cliff. On that day Taylor Wimpey’s share price dropped 52 per cent and 900 people expected to lose their jobs. It was also reported on that day that the big Stratford Project may lose a quarter of the planned number of apartments due to the credit crunch.