Tim Harford’s article “The problem with megaprojects” (Magazine, Life & Arts, FT Weekend, September 3) is right to highlight the unnecessary, often wasteful work undertaken while planning for megaprojects and the need for simple, repeatable modular projects, such as upgrading the Transpennine rail line.

But the message that all megaprojects should avoid “eye-catching world firsts” can be misleading.

Some megaprojects are truly novel, transformative and may be worth the risk to achieve breakthrough innovations, such as Nasa’s moon landing, the US Arpanet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) which created the internet, Japan’s first bullet train and nuclear fusion energy.

Andrew Davies
RM Phillips Freeman Chair and Professor of Innovation Management
University of Sussex Business School
Brighton, UK