Our physical infrastructure is vital to our society, our economy, our very well-being.
Our current physical infrastructure is – ok. Until there is a crisis such as a drought, a wildfire, a pandemic. And not counting all the structures that are crumbling and barely fit for purpose . Or the dollars that are wasted on the wrong projects. And if you ignore some very stupid outcomes (‘stupidity stories’), like airports that cost three times their construction budgets , or trains that don’t fit on their tracks.
As someone in a position to make infrastructure decisions, you are vital to making it work better for everyone. This is a pragmatic guide for decision makers on physical infrastructure and the importance of managing it well, now and for the future.
Physical infrastructure starts with what’s required for life – the systems to provide treated drinking water and dispose of sewerage and waste, power to keep us warm, the means to transport food – through to the physical assets to support complex economies, such as advanced telecommunications.
Other essential elements for our societies require appropriate physical assets, too, such as schools, hospitals, parks, museums and theatres. Communities are not simply physical – but they depend on a solid foundation of physical infrastructure.
The physical infrastructure assets are not an end in themselves. Some of us manage physical infrastructure so everybody else can get on with their healthy, social and productive lives.