Emergent and Unexpected Sources of Value from Radio Astronomy Projects

Construction projects are under increasing pressure from local communities to deliver Societal Value (SV), defined as integrated social and environmental value. Societal Value delivery requires the co-creation of value outcomes with environmental and community stakeholders, in addition to the functional benefits of the project. The aim of this research is to advance understanding of the conceptualisation and practise of Societal Value in capital projects. This paper will summarise existing research and key concepts in the delivery of Societal Value, applying examples from both existing and planned radio astronomy projects such as the Very Large Array (VLA, USA) and Next-Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA, USA), Square Kilometre Array (SKA, South Africa and Australia), Arecibo (NAIC, Puerto Rico), Ghana Radio Telescope Observatory, and Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array (ALMA, Chile). Such projects are built in rural areas, bringing services, infrastructure, jobs, education, and astrotourism to surrounding communities. Answering these research questions can lead to the development of a societal value framework for construction projects, including metrics and an audit methodology, for use by organisations and governments in practising project assurance.