In Our Own Backyard Principles for Effective Improvement of the Nation's Infrastructure (1993) / Chapter Skim
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4 Principles for Action on Infrastructure
4 Principles for Action on Infrastructure
Pages 89-102
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From page 89... ...
Location determines the charactensdcs of geology and soil, hydrology, topography, vegetation, and climate with which the infrastructures must contend. The economic and social makeup of the community shapes the demand for the infrastructure's services, in terms of prices willingly paid as well as types and levels of services desired, and the performance levels that are judged to be minimally acceptable.
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From page 90... ...
Within the context of practices of the past several decades, applying these principles means a shift toward a broader view and broader participation in the infrastructure system planning, development, and management. Principle I: Geography Matters The specific physical, social, economic, and environmental characteristics of a region should be the primary factors shaping Cat region's infrastructure investment and management.
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From page 91... ...
Over the past decades, federal programs that made funds available for such investments have had major impact in shaping metropolitan development but have often neglected the diverse social, economic, and physical character of local geography. 17~ the summer of 1993, as one reviewer of the committee's work pointed out, severe flooding of cities and towns in the Mississippi and Missouri River valleys illustrated graphically the importance of this respect.
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From page 92... ...
Principle 2: The Paradigm Is Broadening The fixture goal of infrastructure management must be to change the paradigm of independent management of the many elements of infrastructure and in its place incorporate effective recognition of infrastructure as a muicimodal and multipurpose system—a stream of services as well as an armature of community development. Infrastructure facilities require land and capital, two resources invariably in shorter supply as cities or regions mature and grow.
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From page 93... ...
Boston's current investment boom may lead to maintenance cost crises in the future. To the extent that national policies support infrastructure, these policies should be shifted from a narrow focus on transportation, water resources, or other single elements of the infrastructure system.
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From page 94... ...
Inf~ructure professionals need a broader and more integrafive educational experience that will enable them to communicate effectively with the public and policy makers, as well as manage the ~nfrastn~cture system. Phoenix's experience demonstrates why policy makers should give greater recognition to the enabling value of inf~ructure, by promoting and rewarding innovation In inf~ructure technology and management.
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From page 95... ...
Effective public involvement and broad ~ntersectoral and interdisciplinary partnerships In infrastructure development and management are needed to apply the broader paradigm of flexible delivery of multiple services. As Cincinnati's experience Lithe National Environmental Policy Act, which became federal law in 1969, was an early and major force for full disclosure of government plans for infrastructure development.
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From page 97... ...
need to be better informed to judge makers of infrastructure technology and its impact on He economy, the environment, and the general quality of life. More Man two decades of public discussion in Boston produced a population singularly well prepared to discuss infrastructure, and Me educational components of Phoenix's 27th Avenue waste management facility seem likely to produce similar benefits over Me longer term.
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From page 98... ...
National infrastructure policy can address effectively in a way that is not possible at local levels alone- the balance of resources applied among infrastructure modes and between infrastructure and other issues of national interest (e.g., national security, industrial compe~ciEveness, medical care, and AIDS research)
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From page 99... ...
And use and transportation patterns that fostered economic development and personal mobility In the past now embody environmental issues that will require changes beyond our current ability to conceive in industry operations and personal living and travel habits. State and local officials in major urban and high-growth areas understand that congested highways and airports, substandard air quality, and inadequate solid waste and wastewater facilities make them less attractive to business.
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From page 100... ...
The research should include federally sponsored local demonstration projects, which experience has shown to be a valuable means for developing and disseminating innovation. The absence of a clearly defined center of federal responsibility for infrastructure policy and programs makes coordination and concerted effort more difficult.
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From page 101... ...
Yet infrastructure is essentially local, and local differences will always require specific variations in facilities, management systems, and funding patterns. A supportive national policy environment must facilitate strategies for addressing issues of infrastructure to be applied locally -- to paraphrase the often used phrase of resistance to infrastructure -- in our own backyards.
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