Playbook urges 'overhaul' in infrastructure financing, planning

Source: Smart Cities Dive Published: June 24, 2020

Dive Brief:

  • The New Partnership on Infrastructure coalition released its "America's New Playbook for Infrastructure" on Tuesday, calling for equitable and resilient infrastructure developments as the United States looks to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Localities should be given more autonomy by the federal government on which projects and areas to invest in, according to the playbook, led by nonprofit Accelerator for America with partners including WSP USA, City Possible and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Investing in small and minority-owned businesses will help strengthen communities and "break cycles of racial inequity," and funds should be made available for "locally-focused and well-paying" jobs, according to the playbook. The groups also urged quicker investment in transportation electrification, broadband internet deployment and resilient water infrastructure.

  • Investment in infrastructure, something that has been frequently discussed but not yet enacted, is "essential to accelerating our nation’s economic recovery" and providing opportunities to local communities, according to The New Partnership on Infrastructure. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a co-founder of Accelerator for America, said in a statement that equitable infrastructure investment will build a "future that is far better than the pre-COVID status quo."

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Chelsea McCullough