The overarching research question posed by the OMEGA 2 Study was: what constitutes a successful MTP in light of the aims of such projects and the anticipated sustainable development challenges presented by the 21st Century?
This investigation went well beyond the conventional project management concerns of completing such projects ‘on time’, ‘on budget’ and ‘within prescribed specifications’ (often referred to as ‘Iron Triangle’ considerations of project management) important though these remain. The research was based on an international study of 30 selected MTPs costing in excess of US 1 billion (at 1999 rates) and completed post-1990 in Europe, USA, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The research was undertaken in partnership with research teams in 9 universities (numbering approximately 35 researchers in total) from:
- The University of Melbourne, Australia;
- Ecole des Ponts Paris, France;
- The Free University of Berlin, Germany;
- The University of Thessaly, Greece;
- Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan;
- The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR;
- The University of Amsterdam, Netherlands;
- Lund University, Sweden;
- New York University, USA.
Complementing the overarching research question were two further key questions and three hypotheses which define the scope of the Study, as follows:
- How well has risk, uncertainty and complexity been treated in the planning, appraisal and delivery of MTPs?
- How important is context in making judgements regarding ‘success’ and the treatment of risk, uncertainty and complexity?
Research Hypotheses
- Traditional criteria relating to cost overruns, completion dates, generation of travel time savings for project users and rates of returns to investors are inadequate measures of ‘success’ in the 21st century, as sustainable development concerns become increasingly critical both globally and locally.
- The new emerging international and local agenda related to visions of sustainable development is multidimensional and goes beyond notions of environmental sustainability, as critical as this may be – it also concerns inter-related concepts of economic sustainability, social sustainability and institutional sustainability.
- The level of competence in MTP decision-making in today’s fast-changing world is best assessed by the adequacy of the treatment of risk, uncertainty and complexity, plus sensitivity to context(s) – all of which constitute important demands on strategic planning and resilience.
In response to the above overarching research questions and hypotheses, the OMEGA 2 Study yielded a number of significant contributions to the field of MTP development which move significantly beyond the traditional concerns associated with project performance. These contributions take the form of lessons and suggested stakeholder actions, which help better frame and define arenas of MTP activity. The UCL OMEGA Team consider that these lessons and actions should be placed at the heart of future decision-making of MTPs if projects are to meet the growing and changing 21st Century aspirations for achieving future sustainable economic, social, environmental and institutional development. The Final Report of this research programme was submitted to VREF in six volumes on 1 October 2011. An Executive Summary was published in December 2012.
Partnership Network
The OMEGA Centre International Partnership Network was founded in 2006 at the advent of the OMEGA 2 Project which sought to present generic lessons in decision-making in the planning, appraisal and delivery from a study of 30 MTP case studies in 10 countries in the Developed World. The Partnership Network comprised of nine very highly regarded academic institutions throughout the Developed World plus a Knowledge Management consultancy firm. Each University partner was led by a Principal Investigator (PI) in the form of a senior academic, supported by Research Assistants (many of the latter doubling-up as PhD students). All Partners offered important links to other Universities and research institutions plus access to local public and private sector project stakeholders in their respective countries and beyond.
| Principal Investigator |
Prof. Nicholas LowAustralasian Centre for the Governance and Management of Urban Transport (GAMUT) Faculty of Architecture, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne – AUSTRALIA |
| Research Fellow |
Prof. Carey CurtisDepartment of Planning and Geography Curtin University of Technology, Perth – AUSTRALIA |
| Research Assistant |
Dr. Sophie SturupAustralasian Centre for the Governance and Management of Urban Transport (GAMUT) Faculty of Architecture, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne – AUSTRALIA |
| Principal Investigator |
Prof. Elisabeth CampagnacLaboratoire Technique Territoires et Societes (LATTS) Ecole Nationales Ponts et Chaussees, Paris – FRANCE |
| Research Fellow |
Prof. Geneviëve ZembriUFR Lettres et Sciences Humaines Universitè de Cergy-Pontoise, Cergy-Pontoise – FRANCE |
| Research Assistant |
Dr. Stèphanie LeheisLaboratoire Technique Territoires et Societes (LATTS) Ecole Nationales Ponts et Chaussees, Paris – FRANCE |
| Principal Investigator |
Prof. Pantelis SkayannisDepartment of Planning and Regional Development University of Thessaly, Volos – GREECE |
| Research Assistant |
George KaparosDepartment of Planning and Regional Development University of Thessaly, Volos – GREECE |
| Principal Investigator |
Prof. Yasunori MuromachiDepartment of Built Environment Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo – JAPAN |
| Research Fellows |
Dr. Kazuya ItayaDepartment of Built Environment Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo – JAPAN Dr. Yuko OhtsukaDepartment of Built Environment Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo – JAPAN |
| Principal Investigator |
Prof. Frederik PretoriusDepartment of Real Estate and Construction University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong – CHINA |
| Research Fellow |
Prof. Mee Kam NgDepartment of Geography and Resource Management The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong – CHINA |
| Research Assistants |
Rachel NgDepartment of Real Estate and Construction University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong – CHINA Billy KwanDepartment of Real Estate and Construction University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong – CHINA |
| Principal Investigator |
Prof. Willem SaletAmsterdam Institute for Metropolitan Studies University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam – NETHERLANDS |
| Research Fellow |
Prof. Luca BertoliniAmsterdam Institute for Metropolitan Studies University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam – NETHERLANDS |
| Research Assistant |
Dr. Mendel GiezenAmsterdam Institute for Metropolitan Studies University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam – NETHERLANDS |
| Principal Investigator |
Prof. Bengt HolmbergDepartment of Technology and Society Lund University, Lund – SWEDEN |
| Research Fellow |
Prof. Jamil KhanDepartment of Technology and Society Lund University, Lund – SWEDEN |
| Research Assistant |
Dr. Fredrik PetterssonDepartment of Technology and Society Lund University, Lund – SWEDEN |
| Study Director |
Prof. Harry T. DimitriouOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning University College London, London – UK |
| Senior Research Fellows |
Philip G. WrightOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning University College London, London – UK Dr. E. John WardOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning University College London, London – UK Rob GallagherOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning University College London, London – UK |
| Administrator of the OMEGA Centre |
Richard S. OadesOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning University College London, London – UK |
| Research Assistants |
Yen-Ning TsengOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning University College London, London – UK Varina DelrieuOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) University College London, London – UK June TaylorOMEGA Centre, Bartlett School of Planning University College London, London – UK |
|
Principal Investigator |
Prof. Charles M. BrecherUniversity Transportation Research New York University, New York – U.S.A. |
| Research Assistant |
Dr. Patrizia NobbeUniversity Transportation Research New York University, New York City – U.S.A. |
|
Director, Complexity Interest Group and Director, Cognitive Edge Pty. |
David Snowden |
| Director of Cognitive Edge Pty. |
Stephen Beiling |
|
Consultant, Cognitive Edge Pty. |
Ann BaritherwaitSharon DarwentLaurie Webster |
|
Programmer, Cognitive Edge Pty. |
Peter Stanbridge |
| Complexity Interest Group |
Michael Cheveldave |
| Programmer, Complexity Interest Group |
Ken McHugh |
| Data entry specialist, Complexity Interest Group |
Jules Yim |
|
Director of Research, Glamorgan University |
Dr. Paul Thomas |
Workshops
April 10th-13th 2013 | VREF CoE Workshop, London, UK.
April 9th 2013 | London OMEGA CoE Workshop, London, UK.
July 9th-10th 2011 | OMEGA Workshop V, Perth, Australia.
April 22nd-25th 2009 | OMEGA Workshop IV, Lund, Sweden.
May 7th-9th 2008 | OMEGA Workshop III, Athens/Volos, Greece.
OMEGA Case Studies
Journal articles
Reports
Working Papers
Research Study Director
OMEGA Country Principal Investigators
Australia Prof. Nicholas Low
France Prof. Elisabeth Campagnac
Germany Prof. Gerhard Braun
Greece Prof. Pantelis Skayannis
Japan Prof. Yasunori Muromachi
Hong Kong Prof. Frederik Pretorius
Netherlands Prof. Willem Salet
Sweden Prof. Bengt Holmberg
USA Prof. Charles M. Brecher
OMEGA Other Supporting Researchers
Australia Prof. Carey Curtis
Australia Sophie Sturup
France Stèphanie Leheis
France Geneviëve Zembri
Germany Markus Hesse
Greece George Kaparos
Japan
Hong Kong Prof. Mee Kam Ng
Netherlands Prof. Luca Bertolini
Netherlands Mendel Giezen
Sweden Jamil Khan
Sweden Fredrik Pettersson
UK David Snowden
USA Patrizia Nobbe
UCL OMEGA Team Research Fellows
Philip G. Wright, Dr. E. John Ward, Robert Gallagher
UCL OMEGA Team Research Assistants
Yen Ng Tseng
Varina Delrieu
June Taylor
UCL OMEGA Team Administrator
Richard S. Oades
Project funder
Volvo Research & Education Foundations (VREF), Gothenburg, Sweden
Research Grant
25 million SEK (2006-11)
5 million SEK (2012)
Research Duration
2006-12