"In important periods of American history, the nation has made significant advances because of large-scale infrastructure commitments. Often mentioned in this respect are the transcontinental railroad, the interstate highway system and the post-war infrastructure to support modern urbanization. At other times, the nation’s investment has lagged and, in some cases, resulted in suboptimal projects. Our report was motivated by the following two responses to those unfortunate and wasteful approaches to infrastructure investments.

First, we believe that including state and local leaders in the design of a national infrastructure plan is essential. Local officials are generally in the best position to know the projects that would be the most impactful and effective in their respective areas.

Second, as the nation has become more urban and the nation’s economy becomes more dependent on urban areas, logic dictates that it is the economic development of metropolitan areas and their surrounding regions that should be supported with the infrastructure of the future."

Henry Cisneros

Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

An architect of the report "A Bottom-Up Infrastructure Strategy for American Renewal."

 

 

"A 'war room' could be organized to receive, organize and interactively update a national inventory of state and local infrastructure priorities. It would be the first national inventory of this type and it would have long-term usefulness to the federal departments, including as an instrument to set the stage for inter-departmental cooperation and intergovernmental collaboration. The ultimate objective should be to assure that infrastructure projects can be integrated in 'place-based' frameworks so that they maximize their positive effects."

Bill Fulton

Director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research 

Former Mayor of Ventura, California