In Our Own Backyard Principles for Effective Improvement of the Nation's Infrastructure (1993) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-12
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Representing a total investment that may exceed $~.4 trillion, the nation's infrastructure is said by many people to be "in ruins." Many policy makers and members of the public have expressed understandable skepticism when presented with such dire assessments. They observe that failures are isolated, primarily in a few older cities, and many elements of He nation's infrastructure seemingly continue to work quite well.
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During the spring and summer of 1992, the committee held workshop colloquia in three communities Phoenix, Arizona; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Boston, Massachusetts selected from a longer list of candidates because they seemed to have experienced notable successes in uniting and mobilizing to come to grips with their infrastructure problems. This report presents what the committee found and its recommendations for what should be done by policy makers, infrastructure professionals, and the public at large to improve the nation's infrastructure.
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National inefficiencies and inequities that could be tolerated in times of rapid growth have become burdensome as the nation seeks to define sustainable futures. Despite the infrastructure system's crucial Importance for the nation's economy and quality of life, there Is no national center of responsibility for infrastructure policy, nor is there a clearly delineated statement of such policy, although several federal agencies have independent roles in He development or regulation of specific modes.
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The coalition's work is reflected in newly developed highway and solid waste management facilities. The committee also found technological innovation in locally developed processes for using ground rubber, from waste vehicular tires, as an asphalt addiLve to improve overlay adhesion and hot-weather performance.
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Boston, the oldest and most historic of the three cities visited by the committee, has demonstrated over the years a historic inclination of its citizens to consider bold civic visions and set the city on a course to remake itself, while seeking to preserve its most important historic landmarks. Today, Boston is in the midst of a major cycle of refurbishment and expansion of its infrastructure that includes new rail transit lines, as well as highway and sewage treatment projects of monumental proportions.
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Within the context of practices of the past several decades, applying these principles means a shift toward a broader view and broader participation In He infrastructure. The committee recommends these principles for policy makers, infrastructure professionals, and the public in communities facing infrastructure problems or simply seeking to enhance their ability to develop and manage more effectively.
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Phoenix's solid waste transfer facility—a product of artists and engineers collaborating in design demonstrates this broader paradigm, that infrastructure facility planning, design, and management can seek to deliver multiple services. Boston's decades-Ion" transportation system development shows how 7
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Infrastructure professionals need a broader and more ~ntegrative educational experience that will enable them to communicate effectively with the public and policy makers, as well as manage the infrastructure system. The case of the Phoenix city engineerwho improved street pavement performance, saved the city money, and was himself well compensated for developing a way to use old tires in the asphalt concrete mix demonstrates why policy makers should give greater recognition to the enabling value of infrastructure, by promoting and rewarding Innovation In infrastructure technology and management.
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~ ~7 STARTING IN OUR OWE BACKYARD Making these principles effective will require vision and leadership at local and national levels. The committee recommends that responsible government agencies and the Congress act to enable and encourage their broad adoption by policy makers, infrastructure professionals, and the public in communities throughout the nation face infrastructure problems or seek simply to enhance Weir ability to develop and manage more effectively.
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Nevertheless, infrastructure is essentially local, and local differences will always require specific variations in facilities, management systems, and funding patterns. A supportive national policy environment is needed, policy that responds to our increasing recognition of global interdependence and responsibilities, but 10
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strategies for addressing issues of infrastructure must be applied locally -- to paraphrase the often-used phrase of resistance to infrastructure -- in our own backyards.
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