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Executive Summary
Infrastructure systems are integral to the social, political,
and economic life of our nation. They affect the quality of our
transportation, our buildings, and the crater we drink, access to
electrical power and com~nunicatio=, and the efficacy and safety
of our waste removal. Because they are so pewasive, complex,
and varied, the maintenance and improvement of infrastructure
systems have not received consistent attention. We do know that
the investments ~ our infrastructure facilities are enormous; that
buildings, highways, and systems for supplying water must be
maintained; and that new technologies are emerging which, if well
applied, can both improve the quality of our infrastructure systems
and enable the more effective use of public funds.
The Committee on Infrastructure Innovation of the National
Research Council in response to a request from the National Coun-
ci} on Public Works hnpro~rement examined the following:
promising research areas for the technological improvement
of infrastructure;
factors governing the adoption or rejection of technological
inno~ration8; and,
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the meam for developing and carrying out a national ret
search agenda to foster innovative research for ~nfrastruc-
ture systems.
In responding to this charge, the committee was aware of the
limits of what it could do. Agreement on both the content and
institutional arrangement for a program of wfrmtructure research
requires the active participation of the affected constituencies
private industry, government, academia, and associations. It also
requires articulation of a comprehensive research agenda. The
committee, by virtue of its limited tenure and available resources,
was not able to involve ad the affected constituencies or to prepare
a comprehensive agenda.
The committee did find, however, that there were both oppor-
tunities for research and barriers to innovation that transcended
the separate modes that together constitute the infrastructure
system. Thus, the committee finds that there are illustrative on
portunities for crosscutting research pertinent to infrastructure
in materials sciences, information technology, urban and regional
plaur~ing, and nondestructive evaluation.
Further, in recommending the next step in constructing a
broad and sustained research effort for infrastructure systems,
the com~nittee considered ex~t~g mode] research programs, their
strengths, and their weaknesses. Substantial opportunities were
found for research ~ several modes, including the management
of solid wastes, water pollution control, and urban mobility. The
committee therefore believes that a framework for research on
infrastructure systerrm should include efforts to build on existing
modal efforts, by strengthening existing progeny and initiating
efforts where needed.
The berries common to all infrastructure modes include the
large scale of public works projects that limit the ability of local
communities to month and enhance their infrastructure, the
absence of effective market mechan~me for adopting innovations,
the fragmented institutional structures within which ~frastruc-
ture systems are developed and operated, and other factors.
Overall, the committee found that research add development
can contribute in significant ways to the performance of infract
structure services by providing managers and policymakers with
a broader range of options. Current research and development on
infrastructure ~ uneven across the various modes of infrastructure,
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with some commanding considerable resources while others are
underfunded and facing significant challenges. The committee also
determined that research addressing problems common to several
modes and their interaction is not given sufficient attention.
These factors led to the committee' conclusion that a gum
tanned ~titutiona] focus for a program of infrastructure research,
development, and technology transfer was needed. To bring this
program into icing,, the committee recommends that a two-year
imp~cmcutation program ic initiated immediately to explore with
the many constituencies involved In the infrastructure system the
prereq~ ite8 to creating an organization that would provide the
stimulus, focus, and coherence for a sustained effort in Rife
structure research. The committee believes that the tasks of this
tw~year implementation program should include:
Defining the managerial structure, financial mechanisms,
and the Iirmtatiorm under which this organization should
operate;
Developing a national agenda of research and development
for infrastructure systems that identifies the current gaps
in research and notes research opportunities for addressing
problems common to several modes;
Bringing into the program the talent "d expertise of the
various ex~t~g mode research groups;
Establishing minnnum goad and criteria for research and
implementation; and
Informing federal agencies, the user and professional com-
munities, and the public about the opportunities for re-
search ~ building a more eEective infrastructure system.
The ~rnplementation program should develop a national strat-
egy for ~nfrmtructure research and development. Efforts to
strengthen and encourage exiting modal research efforts are an
essential complement to this activity. The committee believes
these steps will be necessary to lay the groundwork for meeting
the infrastructure needs of the 21st century.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
establishing minnnum
