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Infra Views

Crossing the Hudson: How to Increase Transit Capacity and Improve Commutes

Monday, August 21st, 2017

Each day over 1.6 million people commute into Manhattan, the 21st century’s leading global city. For the last 25 years, more and more of those people have been coming from west of the Hudson River. Over that time, the number of jobs in Manhattan has only increased by about 75,000, and the number of daily commuters traveling from New Jersey grew by 70,000, from 250,000 to 320,000…As a result, rail trips in and out of Penn Station have nearly tripled in the last 25 years, bus trips have grown by 83%, and PATH ridership is up by 27%. RPA’s research projects that this trend will continue over the next two decades, requiring far more capacity than the existing facilities can provide. Work trips to Manhattan could increase by 72,000, or 24%, by 2040, while trips to all of New York City could increase by 148,000, a 38% increase, as job growth in the other New York City boroughs rises even faster.

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Tags: Hudson River, Manhattan, MTA, New Jersey, New York, New York City, NJ, NY, NYC, PATH, Regional Plan Association, RPA
Posted in Infra Views, Local, Public Transportation, Transit, Urban Planning

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Natural and Nature-Based Flood Management

Friday, August 18th, 2017

The Flood Green Guide organizes flood management methods into two categories: structural and non-structural. Structural methods involve physical changes to natural features or human infrastructure, including engineered (hard) methods (sometimes referred to as gray methods), such as dams or floodways, and natural and nature-based (soft) methods (sometimes referred to as green methods), such as wetland protection, upper watershed restoration or rain gardens.

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Tags: Flood Management, Flooding, Floods, Green Infrastructure, World Wildlife Fund, WWF
Posted in Climate Change, Environment, Infra Views, Sustainability

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New Orleans: Lead Exposure and Infrastructure Reconstruction

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017

The OIG found that the City and the S&WB have not alerted residents to the risk of increased exposure to lead in water caused by the partial replacement or disturbance of LSLs. Nor have they complied with industry best practices by providing citizens with ways to reduce the risk of increased lead exposure…As a result, New Orleans residents living where infrastructure construction projects occur may be—or may have been—unknowingly exposed to elevated levels of lead in drinking water.

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Tags: LA, Lead, Lead Exposure, Louisiana, New Orleans, New Orleans Office of Inspector General, NOLA, OIG, S&WB, Sewerage and Water Board
Posted in Accountability, Drinking Water, Equity, Infra Views, Local

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The MTA’s Escalating Cost Crisis: Answers to Questions About the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Finances

Wednesday, August 9th, 2017

Even as the MTA’s revenues have increased over the decades, its costs to operate subways, buses, and commuter rails have outpaced these gains. Over little more than a decade, the MTA’s costs, excluding debt service, have outpaced inflation by 50%. This fundamental imbalance prevents the state from providing New Yorkers with the transit service that a growing city demands. Below are answers to some questions about the transportation authority’s finances.

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Tags: Manhattan Institute, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA, New York City, Nicole Gelinas, NYC, Subway
Posted in Funding, Infra Views, Local, Public Transportation, Transit

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Economic Impacts of Active Transportation in Utah

Monday, August 7th, 2017

Table 8: Job and Income Multiplier Adjustments for Active Trans. Facility Construction, Maintenance

Despite the increasing popularity of walking, biking, and running in Utah, little has been done to quantify and monetize the benefits that result from active transportation facilities and active travel. Understanding the direct and induced impacts of active transportation helps elevate active travel in funding decisions and priorities. It can help governments and non-profits plan investments in healthy community infrastructure and programs. In response to this need, the Utah Transit Authority and 11 agency collaborators initiated this study to estimate the health and economic benefits of active transportation to inform policy and planning decisions.

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Tags: Active Transportation, Cycling, Pedestrian, UT, UTA, Utah, Utah Transit Authority
Posted in Biking, Employment, Infra Views, Jobs, Local, Public Parks & Recreation, Public Transportation

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Renewables on the Rise

Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

The last decade has proven that clean energy technology can power American homes, businesses and industry – and leaves America poised to dramatically accelerate its shift away from fossil fuels. With renewable energy prices falling and new energy-saving technologies coming on line every day, America should work to obtain 100 percent of our energy from clean, renewable sources.

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Tags: Efficiency, Energy Storage, Environment America, Environment America Research and Policy Center, Frontier Group, Renewables, Solar Energy, Wind Energy
Posted in Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Infra Views, National, Sustainability, Technology

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Global Infrastructure Outlook

Tuesday, August 1st, 2017

Fig. 1. Regional share of global infrastructure investment, 2007-2040

Across the globe, a well-functioning, modern infrastructure is Central to economic development and to quality of life. From the Roads and railways needed to transport people and goods, to the Power plants and communications networks that underpin Economic and household activity, to the basic human need for Clean water and sanitation, infrastructure matters to people And business everywhere.

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Tags: G20, Global Infrastructure Hub, Investment Gap, Oxford Economics
Posted in Competitiveness, Funding, Global, Infra Views, Policy, Private Investment

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ACEC’S ENGINEERING INC. — Higher and Higher: Member Firms Push the Limits to Design Effective and Attractive High-Rise Structures

Monday, July 31st, 2017

Seoul, South Korea: Supertall Skyscraper

In a creative blend of old and new, the fabled Steinway Hall on New York’s West 57th Street will soon begin a new career, its atrium serving as the elegant main entry for a supertall high-rise now under construction on the adjacent site. Featuring progressively greater setbacks on its northern face for a feathered rather than stepped profile, the new 1,428- foot tower’s glass curtain walls will offer unparalleled views of Central Park to the north and the Manhattan skyline to the south. Hearking back to the quality and detail of historic New York towers, the shear walls on the east and west are being clad with a custom-cast terra cotta, bronze filigree and glass façade.

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Tags: ACEC, American Council of Engineering Companies, Engineering, Engineering Inc., Engineers, New York City, Seoul, Skyscrapers, Tom Klemens
Posted in Engineering Inc., Global, Infra Views, Technology

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Building a Smarter Electric Grid: How Investing in Smarter Electricity Infrastructure Will Energize America

Tuesday, July 25th, 2017

The potential benefits of a smarter, more distributed grid are well-established, including a reduced carbon footprint, increased efficiency, and reliability and resiliency improvements. But creating multidirectional flow on a grid that was designed primarily to deliver power in one direction, while also improving the system’s capability to integrate increased amounts of distributed resources, is a costly and complex challenge. Without well-planned grid infrastructure improvements that provide increased visibility and management, these and other challenges could negatively impact system reliability and resilience, and put additional stress on existing infrastructure, e.g., power lines, transformers, substations, control systems, etc. Finally, the increased interconnectedness and complexity of the emerging grid model may create new cyber vulnerabilities.

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Tags: AII, Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, DER, Distributed Energy Resources, Electricity
Posted in Energy, Infra Views, Smart Grid

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The Human Cost of Subway Delays: A Survey of New York City Riders

Thursday, July 20th, 2017

Chart 1: How would you grade subway service in recent months?

As the findings make clear, when New Yorkers are left stranded on the subway platform or stuck in a tunnel, they are missing classes and job interviews and doctor’s appointments. They are running late to pick up or drop off their children or care for elderly relatives. They are losing wages and putting their jobs in jeopardy. In short, when subway performance declines, so too does the health, financial security, and quality of life of everyday New Yorkers.

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Tags: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA, New York, New York City, New York City Comptroller, NY, NYC, scott stringer, Subway
Posted in Congestion, Infra Views, Local, Public Transportation, Transit

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Infra Views

Crossing the Hudson: How to Increase Transit Capacity and Improve Commutes

Natural and Nature-Based Flood Management

New Orleans: Lead Exposure and Infrastructure Reconstruction

The MTA’s Escalating Cost Crisis: Answers to Questions About the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Finances

Economic Impacts of Active Transportation in Utah

Renewables on the Rise

Global Infrastructure Outlook

ACEC’S ENGINEERING INC. — Higher and Higher: Member Firms Push the Limits to Design Effective and Attractive High-Rise Structures

Building a Smarter Electric Grid: How Investing in Smarter Electricity Infrastructure Will Energize America

The Human Cost of Subway Delays: A Survey of New York City Riders

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