America’s Infrastructure Crisis = Opportunity Sara Robinson Futures of the US Fall 2008

Transportation Roads Bridges Railroads Airports Ports Waterways Transit

Power and Energy “The Grid” Dams Power plants Transfer stations Transmission lines

Water Dams Pipelines Pumps Wells Reservoirs Treatment plants

Waste Management Landfills Sewers Treatment plants Incinerators Recycling plants

Communications Phone lines Switching stations Cell phone towers Broadband and wireless networks Satellites and ground stations Microwave relays

Security Emerging infrastructure designed to protect people and systems from a variety of threats

Essential Services Schools Hospitals Parks Fire and police protection Emergency medical response

Infrastructure Creates The Future

Transportation America's commuters lose about 4.2 billion hours and $78 billion in productivity each year due to traffic Gas wasted in traffic jams would fill 58 supertankers per year Bad roads raise car repair costs $275/year per driver In 2007, flight delays cost the economy $40 billion Airports can't handle high numbers of private aircraft or the new super-jumbo planes One freight train can take 280 trucks off the road, and is 3x more energy efficient Demand for freight trains is expected to double by 2028

Communication The US is 15th in the world in broadband penetration The average broadband download speed in Japan is 10x to 32x the US average Municipal wireless

Water EPA: 40,000 raw sewage discharges into US water supply each year CDC: 1000 Americans die each year from waterborne infections In New York, a cracked 70-year-old tunnel leaks 36 million gallons/day 2006 was the worst year in US history for sinkholes due to leaking water pipes

Waste The US produces 369 million tons of solid waste/year. 25% gets recycled. There are 1,237 Superfund sites, plus over 10,000 possible designates.

Public Works Over 25% of bridges are structurally inadequate or functionally obsolete Over 25% of US levees exceed their lifespan, and 150 are at high risk of failure 50% of the locks in inland waterways are functionally obsolete. By 2020, it will be 80%. One-third of US public schools are so broken down that it interferes with teachers’ ability to teach

What’s Changing?

Stakeholders End Users Governments & taxpayers Builders & Developers Banks & investors Employees

Drivers Available funding Political will New technologies Changing values

Alternative Elements Political Will Funding Decentralization Communication Water

New Investment, New Future

Crumbling Into Catastrophe

Everything Possible

Crisis = Opportunity