Expert Voices 2017: America's Urban Infrastructure

In his inauguration speech, President Trump characterized America's infrastructure as having “fallen into disrepair and decay” and promised to “build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways.” Similarly, over the course of the presidential campaign, Trump vowed to develop "the next generation" of American infrastructure and "send new skyscrapers soaring."

We asked more than a dozen urban experts: In your view, what should the United States do about urban infrastructure?

Their answers point to the importance and complexity of infrastructure’s place in urban development and policy. Our experts discuss everything from financing and re-prioritizing infrastructure investments to infrastructure’s role in distressed areas. They consider the 21st century definition of infrastructure and what it means for infrastructure investments to be inclusive, environmentally sound and evidence-based. Together, these reflections show the magnitude of infrastructure’s potential role in the coming years, both in terms of its promise and its challenges.

Eugenie Birch and Susan Wachter, Co-Directors, Penn Institute for Urban Research

Contributors: Infrastructure and Distressed Areas | Timothy J. Bartik
Infrastructure Investment Must Benefit All | Angela Glover Blackwell
Transportation in Inclusive Economic Development | Paul C. Brophy
Invest in the Public Realm | Peter Hendee Brown
Infrastructure Spending to Greatness? | Gilles Duranton
Financing Urban Infrastructure | Erick Guerra
Re-prioritizing Federal Infrastructure Investments | John D. Landis
Water and the Nation’s Infrastructure | Howard Neukrug
Utilizing Environmental Intelligence in Infrastructure Planning | Jeremy Nowak
Consider Infrastructure’s Optimal Use | Megan Ryerson
Multi-tasking Infrastructures | Saskia Sassen
Infrastructure: Make It Green | Frederick Steiner
Pursuing Evidence-based Infrastructure Objectives | Sarah Rosen Wartell
Historical Patterns of Infrastructure Funding | Dick Voith
Financing America’s Infrastructure Needs | Robert Yaro
Improved Infrastructure Must Include Affordable Housing | Mark Zandi