Brookings: Topics - Infrastructure

Rethinking the Way on Infrastructure

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

With rising concern about the nation’s anemic job numbers, infrastructure has emerged as a centerpiece of a number of proposed “jobs bills.” In a Hill op-ed, Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes point out that infrastructure is not necessarily a cure-all and outline the federal leadership and strategies necessary for successful investment in the way we move goods, people and power.

Improving Broadband Innovation and Investment

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

November 09, 2009, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

Broadband and wireless technologies are key elements of our nation’s economic, social and civic development. With the Federal Communications Commission’s stated goals of bringing broadband access to all Americans, it is crucial to determine how to be innovative when investing in broadband infrastructure. On November 9, the Brookings Institution hosted a policy forum to examine this issue and to discuss ways to overcome barriers to developing this infrastructure.

President Obama and the Smart Grid

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Charles Ebinger and Lea Rosenbohm say President Obama's decision to use $3.4 billion dollars of stimulus money to begin developing a smart grid is a welcome development. Ebinger and Rosenbohm look to how the smart grid will help benefit providers and consumers while noting additional steps that will be required moving forward.

Metropolitan Planning for Sustainable Growth

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

October 13, 2009, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM

On October 13, the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program hosted a panel discussion around how to best prepare and support metropolitan regions in the development of integrated blueprint plans for sustainable growth.

Latin America's Infrastructure: Roads to the Future

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

July 21, 2009, 9:00 AM to 12:20 PM

On July 21, the Latin America Initiative at Brookings and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) hosted a discussion of CAF’s recent report titled “Roads to the Future: Management of Infrastructure in Latin America.”

Making the Business of Energy Efficiency Both Scalable and Sustainable

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As utilities rely more and more on energy efficiency in their portfolios of energy resources, it is important to recognize that making energy efficiency (EE) a sustainable and scalable business requires a partnership among utilities, regulators, legislators, and customers. Lisa Wood and Roland Risser examine how efficiency programs can offset sitnificant growth in demand for electricity over the next 20 years.

Metro Potential in ARRA: An Early Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

America’s national economic crisis is also a metropolitan crisis, because metropolitan areas are the true engines of the national economy. So it matters intensely how well the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) empowers metropolitan leaders to boost prosperity. This paper finds that although ARRA is limited in its support for creative metropolitan-area implementation, it delivers critical investments in what matters to metros and holds out significant opportunity for metropolitan empowerment and problem-solving.

How to Improve Governance : A New Framework for Analysis and Action

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This perceptive book emphasizes the need for an overall analytical framework that can be applied to different countries to help analyze the current situation, identify potential areas for improvement, and assess their relative feasibility and the steps needed to promote them.

Untangling Transportation Funding

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As the recent kerfuffle between Transportation Secretary LaHood and the White House spokesperson demonstrate, debate over transportation policy and funding is heating up fast. Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer suggest that, while that flap was about taxing miles traveled instead of, or in addition to, gasoline consumed, the comments provide a window into the long simmering quandary over how we move the nation.

Strengthening Our Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After years of benign neglect, the nation’s crumbling infrastructure is getting its public hearing. Bruce Katz delivered a major speech during a special session of the National Governors Association Winter Meeting dedicated to infrastructure financing, accountability and sustainability. He urged the critical importance of policy reform in shifting the infrastructure conversation from one focused on spending, to one focused on investing.

Delivering Metropolitan Stimulus

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A historic fiscal experiment in this country will evolve in the weeks, months and years ahead as a $790 billion stimulus package is spent to revive America’s economy. Metropolitan Policy Program experts suggest how this money might be strategically deployed to invigorate our nation’s metropolitan areas, the sources of national prosperity.

Strengthening American Competitiveness: Regaining Our Competitive Edge

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As U.S. policy-makers focus on how to strengthen the U.S. economy in the midst of the financial crisis, Brookings competitiveness experts stress the need for a longer-term view with policy priorities focused on how to rebuild American competitiveness through investments in people, infrastructure, ideas and green transformation.

President Obama's Agenda for Cities

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Barack Obama has promised to make urban issues a central part of his presidential agenda. In this broadcast, Amy Liu talks to Kojo Nnamdi and others about strategies for reinvesting in our nation’s urban areas.

Infrastructure is in Dire Need of Work

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Bruce Katz and Rob Puentes argue that President-elect Obama must connect infrastructure spending to broad national goals such as creating new jobs, training a new work force and connecting people to work.

Infrastructure: What and How?

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Clifford Winston join other experts in an important and timely discussion of something that will affect both the immediate economic progress of the U.S. and our economic viability for generations to come: infrastructure, on NewTalk moderated by Amy Resnick.

Invest in Infrastructure for Long-Term Prosperity

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

January 12, 2009, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

President-elect Obama is preparing plans for an immediate economic stimulus package. At the same time, his new administration must consider how to make investments that will stabilize and strengthen our economy over the long term. After opening remarks by Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes presented their recommendations on bolstering infrastructure and investing in other economic drivers that can enhance long-term prosperity.

The Scouting Report: Invest in Infrastructure for Long-Term Prosperity

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

January 07, 2009, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

To secure long-term prosperity, the United States should build on the assets of its metropolitan areas. Federal policy reforms to enhance innovation, human capital, infrastructure and quality places will ultimately help our economy to grow in more productive, inclusive and sustainable ways. On January 7, Robert Puentes answered questions in a web chat with Politico's Fred Barbash about the challenges and opportunities President-elect Barack Obama faces.

"Stimulus" Doesn't Have to Mean Pork

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In order for Barack Obama to truly stimulate the nation’s economy through infrastructure spending, Clifford Winston argues that he needs to wring wasteful spending not just out of pork projects, but out of all of his transportation expenditures. Unlike the bailout of the financial system, sound economic guidelines exist to enable investments to generate large social returns.

The Economy Needs a Shot In the Arm

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Jeffrey R. Kling and William J. Congdon agree with the Obama stimulus proposal that increasing expenditures and decreasing taxes can stimulate the economy, but that spending on “shovel ready” infrastructure and human capital to diversify the targets of stimulus dollars will expedite the process while keeping waste to a minimum.

Who Decides which Infrastructure Projects To Do?

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Amy Liu and her colleagues argue that President-elect Obama must connect infrastructure spending to broad national goals such as creating new jobs, training a new work force and connecting people to work.

Leveraging Infrastructure Investment Now and for the Future

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Today’s fiscally-constrained environment demands a new approach to infrastructure policy both for short-term stimulus and long-term prosperity. In this backgrounder, Robert Puentes outlines a strategic infrastructure investment path to upgrade our existing system, expand choices in moving people and goods and move us closer to energy independence.

Toward a Comprehensive Assessment of Road Pricing Accounting for Land Use

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Highway congestion increases motorists’ travel times and contributes to urban sprawl by raising the price of homes that are close to employment centers. Clifford Winston and Ashley Langer analyze the costs and benefits of congestion pricing accounting for its effects on highway travel conditions and on land use.

Getting Infrastructure Bang for the Buck

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this opinion piece published in the New Republic, Robert Puentes argues that President-elect Obama has a tremendous opportunity to connect infrastructure spending to broad national goals (such as economic competitiveness and environmental sustaianability). In this way the federal stimulus dollars can accelerate the right kind of projects in the right places, creating jobs and waking up related areas of the economy.

Obama's Economic Priorities

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:07:14 GMT

President-elect Obama held his first press conference today, focusing on the economy. Kling commented on Obama’s address saying the nation needs two rounds of stimulus to kick-start the economy—the first to stem recent job losses and help homeowners, and then to focus on longer-term growth.

Options for Metropolitan Transit Funding

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this testimony, Robert Puentes argues that congestion pricing holds the most promise for securing the financial future of New York City and its transit agency over the next several years. A recent proposal to charge drivers that enter a "congestion zone" in Manhattan was slated to raise more than a half million dollars annually for transit. The current funding challenges are bolstering the case for revisiting that proposal.

Candidate Issue Index: Transportation

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Puentes presents the presidential candidates' positions on transportation issues, including federal transportation financing, telecommuting and public transit. This chart is part of a series of issue indices to be published during the 2008 presidential election cycle.

Minneapolis: Our Bridge is Fixed; The Problem is Not

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The replacement for the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed one year ago is nearing completion. But, argue Bruce Katz and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, the calls for reinvestment in transportation infrastructure have not been heeded. As outlined by the Metropolitan Policy Program, the federal government needs to systematically identify, map and prioritize the nation-shaping projects that require federal investment, breaking radically from our current practices. It shouldn’t take another bridge collapse to teach us.

The Impact of Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance in California

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In a follow up to their Hamilton Project discussion paper, Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance: A Simple Way to Reduce Driving-Related Harms and Increase Equity, Jason Bordoff and Pascal Noel examine the effects of pay-as-you-drive in California.

Insurance Pricing Can Cut Gas Use

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

There is little lawmakers can do in the short run to reduce prices at the pump, argue Jason Bordoff and Pascal Noel. What if there were a way to lower the cost of driving while still encouraging people to drive less and use less oil? The authors examine how pay-as-you-drive auto insurance supports this goal.

Bringing Broadband to Unserved Communities

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Roughly one-third of households in rural America cannot subscribe to broadband Internet services at any price. In a discussion paper for The Hamilton Project, John M. Peha discusses expanding broadband service to rural communities to expend technological infrastructure and promote economic growth.

Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance: A Simple Way to Reduce Driving-Related Harms and Increase Equity

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The current lump-sum pricing of auto insurance is inefficient and inequitable. In a discussion paper for The Hamilton Project Jason E. Bordoff and Pascal J. Noel propose Pay-As-You-Drive auto insurance as a more effecient means of pricing for the auto insurance industry.

Air Support: Creating a Safer and More Reliable Air Traffic Control System

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Our nation’s air traffic control system, run by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has not kept up with the explosive growth in air travel. In as discussion paper for the Hamilton Project, Dorothy Robyn proposes to measures to increase air traffic effeciency and safety.

The Untapped Promise of Wireless Spectrum

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The public "airwaves," or the radio spectrum, are a tremendously valuable asset that remains partially untapped by entrepreneurs and users. In a discussion paper for the Hamilton Project, Philip J. Weiser discusses how to expand access to wireless spectrum to bring more households internet access.

Investing in America’s Infrastructure

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:45:00 GMT

Event Information:

July 25, 2008, 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM

The state of the nation’s infrastructure is generating rising public attention, prompted by daily travel frustrations, high-profile catastrophes, urgent calls to address climate change and energy security, and concerns about productivity and economic growth. The Hamilton Project released six new policy papers and hosted a public forum on the need for a national strategy that promotes infrastructure as a central component of long-term, broadly shared growth.

An Economic Strategy for Investing in America's Infrastructure

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Infrastructure investment has received more attention in recent years because of increased delays from road and air congestion, high-profile infrastructure failures, and rising concerns about energy security and climate change. Manasi Deshpande and Doug Elmendorf discuss a strategy for America to increase investment in physical and telecommunications infrastructure to spur a more prosperous economy.

America's Traffic Congestion Problem: Toward a Framework for National Reform

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A large and growing burden on the nation’s economy, traffic congestion arises for various reasons, and more than one mechanism is needed to combat it. In a discussion paper for The Hamilton Project, David Lewis proposes a nationwide congestion pricing system to combat the financial and social costs of congestion.

Infrastructure: Time to Compete to Win

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Olympic development boom in China showcases the results of years of rapid growth in China’s economy and mirrors that of many other emerging markets. One of the Olympic lessons for the U.S. should be to reverse its ailing infrastructure trend and begin investing for the long-term to stay competitive, according to Lael Brainard.

Urban and Young: The Future of the Middle East

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Navtej Dhillon and Amina Fahmy reflect on urbanization in the Middle East and how city-to-city collaboration on urban development can help improve the lives of young people. While many urban residents are now unable to enjoy the benefits of globalization and market reforms, effective city planning and knowledge sharing between cities can encourage an open and equitable urban environment providing opportunities for those who are excluded, including a large segment of the region’s youth population.

Creating Quality Places: Making Housing Part of the Sustainability Solution

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:21:09 GMT

This panel discussed links among housing, transportation, and climate change goals, with particular attention to the roles of the federal government in re-framing the affordability issue and fostering sustainable metropolitan growth.

Delayed! U.S. Aviation Infrastructure Policy at a Crossroads

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this chapter excerpted from their new book, Aviation Infrastructure Performance (Brookings 2008), Steven Morrison and Clifford Winston argue that privatized airports and air traffic control would have the potential to improve service to travelers and reduce the cost of carrier operations while maintaining the nation’s outstanding record of air travel safety in the face of an ever greater volume of traffic. In addition, privatized airports could facilitate greater competition among airlines that would lead to lower fares.

Transportation and the Economy

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

April 28, 2008, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Opportunity 08 hosted U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters for a discussion of America's transportation infrastructure. Secretary Peters focused on the challenges facing the nation’s transportation network, and how local, state and national leaders can take advantage of new technology and approaches to unleash a new wave of transportation investments in this country.

The State of Airline Competition and Prospective Mergers

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This fall the United States will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and, Clifford Winston and Steven Morrison argue, the nation has reason to celebrate because airline deregulation has benefited both travelers and carriers.

Airlines are Safer than Ever

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Flights on U.S. airlines have never been more crowded, but despite recent reports, Clifford Winston and Robert Crandall argue, U.S. airlines have never been safer.

Easing the Traffic Jam through Congestion Pricing

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

April 01, 2008, 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

Brookings’ Hamilton Project and Metropolitan Policy Program hosted a roundtable discussion on the merits and potential barriers to congestion pricing as a tool for combating urban gridlock. Brookings Fellow Robert Puentes provided an overview of the national transportation landscape and David Lewis, senior vice president with HDR Decision Economics, discussed his newly proposal for a coordinated federal-state policy framework for congestion pricing. A panel of experts discussed the proposal in the context of the current national debate.

Visioning Transportation’s Future: SAFETEA-LU Reauthorization and Beyond

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As part of this session at the National Association of Regional Councils annual meeting in Washington, DC, Robert Puentes discusses urgency of transportation accessibility, connectivity, and mobility issues that affecting the prosperity and vitality of the nation and its metropolitan areas. He highlights several critical flaws in current U.S. transportation policy today and offers a broad three-part framework for a new transportation agenda.

America’s Infrastructure: Ramping Up or Crashing Down

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

America’s bridges, roads, rails and web of channel communications form the connective tissue that we call infrastructure. When these underpinnings start to crumble, so does the economic competitiveness of the nation. The third Bernard L. Schwartz Forum on Competitiveness explored the challenges and opportunities for new infrastructure investment.

America’s Infrastructure: Ramping Up or Crashing Down

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

October 10, 2007, 9:00 AM to 12:10 PM

The fiscal deficit, tight budgets and an absence of clear priorities appear to be constraining this country from sufficient investment in its bridges, roads, airports, ports and broadband systems. But, given the benefits of a solid foundation, can we afford not to invest more in this infrastructure? On October 10, 2007, Brookings hosted the third in a series of forums on U.S. competitiveness, a public symposium that explored the challenges and opportunities for new infrastructure investment.

Not So fast: Key Policy Considerations for Financing Transportation

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current conversations around finance and revenue distribution dominate the discussion about transportation in the United States today. These concerns are so prevalent today that they spawned not one – but two – national commissions to investigate how the nation should approach the issue of funding transportation over the long term.

Metro Nation: How Ohio’s Cities and Metro Areas Can Drive Prosperity in the 21st Century

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

At a legislative conference in Cambridge, Ohio, Bruce Katz stressed the importance of cities and metro areas to the state's overall prosperity. Acknowledging the decline of Ohio's older industrial cities, Katz noted the area's many assets and argued for a focus on innovation, human capital, infrastructure, and quality communities as means to revitalize the region.

The Shape of Metropolitan Growth: How Policy Tools Affect Growth Patterns in Seattle and Orlando

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Using two metropolitan areas - Orlando and Seattle - with differing growth management regimes, this paper examines the effects of conscious growth policy on metropolitan form and argues overall for a holistic approach to land use, infrastructure, and open space.

Critical Infrastructure Protection and the Private Sector: The Crucial Role of Incentives

Thu, 04 Sep 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Peter R. Orszag (9/04/03)

Paying for Prosperity: Impact Fees and Job Growth

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 00:00:00 GMT

A new analysis of impact fees - one-time charges against new development - shows that the fees promote growth in local economies by providing an increased and predictable supply of buildable land.

Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion

Tue, 19 Mar 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Anthony Downs, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, before the Presented before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, March 19, 2002

How Real Are Transit Gains?

Fri, 01 Mar 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Anthony Downs, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, in Governing Magazine

The Future of U.S. Ground Transportation from 2000 to 2020

Thu, 22 Mar 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Anthony Downs to U.S. House of Representatives

America's Urban Agenda: A View From California

Thu, 01 Jun 2000 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings Review article by Antonio R. Villaraigosa (Summer 2000)

The Paradox of Infrastructure Investment: Can a Productive Good Reduce Productivity?

Thu, 01 Jun 2000 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings Review article by Andrew F. Haughwout (Summer 2000)

No Easy Answers: Cautionary Notes for Competitive Cities

Thu, 01 Jun 2000 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings Review article by Ingrid Gould Ellen and Amy Ellen Schwartz (Summer 2000)

Alternate Route : Toward Efficient Urban Transportation

Tue, 29 Sep 1998 00:00:00 GMT

This book develops an alternative solution to urban transportation problems based on economic analysis of public and private sector capabilities, concluding that public officials should take the next step and allow the private sector to play a leadin

Transportation Reform: What the UK can Teach America

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 GMT

Amidst a series of local infrastructure failures and shortcomings in federal transportation budgeting, policymakers are beginning to view the upcoming expiration of the federal transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) as an opportunity to consider significant national transportation reform. A vital element of such reform is to consider policy best practices, from the local to the international level, that will facilitate such future reform.