John Hennessy III,
P.E.
Infrastructure Week 2015 is almost here. This year, be sure to join us in advocating for comprehensive infrastructure investment and a better future for our nation as a whole. Events will take place “in Washington, D.C., around America, and on the internet,” from May 11th to 15th.
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CA FWD: CALIFORNIA FORWARD
There is no limit to the challenges on the horizon. In the next 30 years, California’s population is expected to grow to 50 million people—the equivalent of adding another city of Los Angeles and San Diego. As income inequality expands, new approaches must be developed to prepare this next generation of Californians to contribute to an ever-changing global economy. With the climate changing, natural resources must be managed more responsibly. Bigger cities need less traffic. Communities need more reliable sources of water. Regions need new avenues to global trade.
From a relocatable antarctic research station to drought solutions in Texas, the 2015 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Awards showcased a variety of novel approaches to vital engineering problems. The following videos from ASCE detail this year’s winner and four other finalists.
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BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM
Germany is an oft-cited example of an advanced economy that has been able to sustain manufacturing as a relevant source of employment, growth, and exports. Manufacturing in Germany accounts for 20 percent of employment, nearly twice the share as in the United States, and generates 22 percent of national GDP and 82 percent of total goods exports. German manufacturing succeeds in the global marketplace even as the sector pays higher average wages than in the United States.
TRIP Executive Summary Massachusetts’ extensive system of roads, bridges, highways and public transit provides the state’s residents, visitors and businesses with a high level of mobility. This transportation system, which also includes pedestrian and bicycle facilities, forms the backbone that supports the state’s economy. Massachusetts’ surface transportation system enables the state’s residents and visitors to travel […]
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ARUP
This thought-piece focuses on the passenger and user experience. The journeys imagined here are intended to generate a conversation about the future and provide the big picture context for future planning and decision-making by the rail industry and by governments. They are also intended to set out a forward-looking and inspiring vision for rail. With the increasing pace of technological change, perhaps the more imaginative scenarios will come to fruition. The case studies indicate trends taking place in rail. They are early signs of possible directional change, and reveal directions in which the future could be heading. Whether these become more widely implemented remains to be seen.
THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS
This analysis examines the role that each level of government plays in paying for highway and transit infrastructure (referred to here as “surface transportation” or “transportation”), the key problems facing this multilayered system of funding, and their causes. In addition, it identifies central principles that policymakers need to consider as they weigh options and consider solutions.
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
Around the world, P3s play a significant role in the development and delivery of transportation and infrastructure projects. Internationally, P3s have had a mixed record of success and failure. The Panel found that successful P3s have several common elements, including leveraging the strengths of the public and private sectors, appropriate risk transfer, transparent and flexible contracts, and alignment of policy goals…Unlike most other countries, the United States possesses a robust municipal bond market of approximately $3.7 trillion, of which a significant portion is for infrastructure financing. The Panel found that this is one major reason why the U.S. P3 market has not grown as quickly as in other countries (which do not offer tax-exempt municipal bonds) and why the potential for P3s in the United States is limited.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS
Modern economic growth and development depends on high-quality infrastructure. There is no getting around it. However, what, exactly, does that involve? Infrastructure spans a wide range of public and private assets, including highways and bridges, airports, ports and inland waterways, electricity plants and transmission lines, information and telecommunication networks and water and sewage facilities. Such assets are indispensable for facilitating production across various industries—not least of which include agriculture, energy, mining and, in particular, manufacturing. The ability to safely and efficiently move goods from a manufacturing facility to a customer located far away is crucial to the industry’s long-term health and global competitiveness. In other capital-intensive industries, such as telecommunications and electricity distribution, infrastructure plays an equally important role. Beyond the manufacturing industry, basic infrastructure also underlies the daily occupational and recreational activities of U.S. households. Our energy, mobility, information and travel capabilities all depend on safe, accessible and reliable infrastructure.
INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORTATION & DEVELOPMENT POLICY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
This report is the first study to examine how major changes in urban transport investments worldwide would affect urban passenger transport emissions as well as mobility by different income groups. It starts with the most recent United Nations urban population forecasts and the most recent model framework and forecasts used by the International Energy Agency (IEA) for global mobility modeling. The study extends these with new research on the extent of various urban passenger transport systems in cities across the world, as well as new estimates of the extent of mobility by non-motorized transport and low power e-bikes.
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