21ST CENTURY INFRASTRUCTURE
Challenges for building 21st Century infrastructure are profound. The 20th Century’s political will to invest in high quality, innovative infrastructure has largely faded. Not only is the political will largely absent, but needs have shifted. Instead of simply building more, infrastructure must be smart, resilient, and multi-faceted, and built with a consideration for future maintenance needs.
- What are the opportunities and challenges ahead for infrastructure in the 21st Century?
- How can we integrate climate and disaster resilience into infrastructure planning, upgrades, and repair?
- How can technology usefully upgrade infrastructure?
- Can infrastructure be built for people as well as for systems?
- How will new infrastructure be financed? Should the financing schemas be different for repairing and upgrading existing infrastructure?
Infrastructure Grants Could Be on Chopping Block in Trump Budget
The Hill, March 2017
“While the president’s budget is merely a guide for congressional appropriators, any transportation cuts could increase pressure on Trump to come up with alternative funding solutions in his promised infrastructure package.”
Crossing Together: Equity Considerations for a Second Transbay Crossing
TransFrom, 2017
“Key transportation stakeholders in the San Francisco Bay Area are starting to plan seriously for a second rail crossing between San Francisco and Oakland…One thing is for certain: if a “second crossing” project goes forward, it will be a big deal.”
Rising Reality
SF Chronicle, 2016
“Chronicle Urban Design Critic John King explores the challenges posed by sea level rise in the Bay Area, from the perils facing San Francisco’s crumbling Embarcadero to the struggles to revive marshes and the creation of a small city on Treasure Island.”
The Future of Urban Water
Arup, September 2014
“’The Future of Urban Water: Scenarios for Water Utilities in 2040′ is the result of a jointly funded collaboration between Arup and Sydney Water. The programme explored trends and future scenarios for the future of urban water utilities in 2040.”
Infrastructure: Can We Finally Think Big?
American Prospect, October 2016
“The country’s infrastructure deficit demands a three-pronged response over the next decade: An accelerated maintenance program in sectors from aviation to waterworks, in tandem with the building of the next generation of infrastructure investments worthy of a major international economic power. There is also the need for financing a green transition.”
The Future of Global Infrastructure Design
Autodesk InfraWorks 360, YouTube, May 2015
“Are we ready to address today’s critical infrastructure challenges? What is the future of how infrastructure will be designed, built and managed? Discover how global digital trends and technologies can help deliver more sustainable and resilient infrastructure in this video.”
The Future of Transportation and Infrastructure in the U.S.
Anthony Foxx, August 2015
“A conversation with Anthony Foxx, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, looking at the question: How will the U.S. rebuild its infrastructure in a period of political gridlock and budget cuts?”
Civilization’s Infrastructure
James Fallows, Long Now Foundation, October 2015
“The miracle that enabled the right [infrastructure] decision each time was either an emergency (such as World War II or the Depression), stealth (such as all the works that quietly go forward within the military budget or the medical-industrial complex), or a story (such as Manifest Destiny and the Space Race)…Responding to need or to opportunity, we can tell a tale that inspires us to reinvent and build anew the systems that make our society flourish.”
Road to Nowhere: Renewing Americas Transportation Scorecard
Council on Foreign Relations, January 2016
- Smart infrastructure is the key to sustainable development, The Guardian, May 2016
- Mass Transit Won Big on Election Day. But It Could Still Lose. CityLab, November 2016
- Circular Economy in the Built Environment, Arup, December 2016
- The Unique Genius of Hong Kong’s Public Transportation System, Atlantic, September 2013
- A Robot Revolution, The Economist, March 2017
