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      Our records for the past 25 years show that the top 10 nations in launching super projects were the United States, Japan, China, Canada, Taiwan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Australia, and Russia - in that order. While the big gap between the United States and other nations may be at least partly attributable to a better reporting system here, we believe that the rankings are otherwise valid.
      The records also show that there is a significant ebb and flow among the nations. During the early 1990s, for example, the Japanese led the world in undertaking big projects. Then they encountered money problems and their programs of new ventures faded. Meanwhile, in the past decade China has become a world leader in making commitments to big infrastructure developments.
      The second 10 among the nations include: Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, India, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, France, Thailand, and Egypt. While many factors influence the undertaking of ambitious projects, the level of activity certainly is closely related to the availability of money and the creativity of leadership involved.
      Within the United States, California leads all states by a wide margin. Following, in order, are New York, Texas, Florida, Washington, Nevada, Illinois, New Jersey, Colorado, and Louisiana. Some metro areas in the United States have more projects underway than many of the world's small nations.

SHOOT THE MOON: The proposed Fordham Spire, designed by Santiago Calatrava for the Chicago waterfront, will twist higher into the sky than the Sears Tower when it is completed in 2009. photo courtesy Santiago Calatrava SA