This paper takes stock of sustainable infrastructure initiatives and argues for more integrated approaches to sustainable infrastructure in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). Its objective is to motivate development planners to urgently invest in governments’ technical and institutional capability to apply integrated approaches, to match the rapid expansion of infrastructure worldwide. To do this, it raises three points:
1. Infrastructure is central to the delivery of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It underpins the socio-economic goals and has impacts on the environmental goals. 2. Integrated approaches will allow for the optimization of the benefits and trade-offs of infrastructure development, allowing it to contribute most effectively to the SDGs. 3. The international community must act to advance integrated approaches globally, by supporting the development of the necessary technical and institutional capacity at the local and national level, building on existing legal instruments, tools, and guidance where possible.