Infrastructure – Page 2

West Coast Infrastructure Exchange

Problem

The West Coast states face a $1 trillion infrastructure financing gap over the next 30 years. The Great Recession and slow economic recovery have strained the tax revenues of state and local governments, widening the already well-documented infrastructure investment gap.

Solution

The West Coast Infrastructure Exchange (WCX) was created by Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia to help redesign the way they plan, build, and finance public infrastructure. WCX works to attract private investment in public projects, share best practices, bundle smaller projects and incorporate climate resilience. This multi-state collaboration will help find innovative ways to fund necessary projects that may not otherwise get completed by relying only on traditional public funding. Through these infrastructure projects, the WCX aims to promote job creation and improve the region’s long-term economic competitiveness over time.

Bottom Up Water Planning

Problem

Changing climate conditions, population growth, and agricultural innovation are placing significant strains on water management systems. Finding a way to more effectively set public policy for water planning is critical.

Solution

In Texas, Rep. Johnson has helped lead the way to implementing a regional approach to water planning. Beginning with local or regional water development planning that is then incorporated into a statewide plan allows those closest to the resources and needs to strike the right balance between competing interests. Changing to a regional approach for deciding the priorities for water infrastructure allows for the needs of private water rights owners, private and public utilities, and government agencies to coordinate their efforts to maximum effect.

Preservation First

Problem

Michigan is struggling to find resources to fix its crumbling roads and public support for spending more money on transportation infrastructure is dwindling unless government can show that these projects are sustainable.

Solution

Rep. Townsend has proposed legislation this year to require that any jurisdiction seeking to use state or federal money to build new road capacity must show that its existing roads are in at least “good” or “fair” condition, as defined by state’s Asset Management Council. This policy forces state and local road agencies to be accountable for the condition of their roads before they seek to add to the system, rebuilding faith in government to improve economic outcomes for all.

Economic and Fiscal Impact Statement for All Road Capacity Expansions

Problem

The general lack of public confidence in government’s ability to make wise investment decisions in transportation leads to underinvestment in such projects, reducing the city’s economic competitiveness and potential for growth.

Solution

Rep. Townsend has introduced legislation to create outcome measures for transportation infrastructure investments that require the Department of Transportation and local agencies to show that their spending plans will generate an economic and fiscal return for the taxpayer and the economy. This matters for everyone because one of America’s greatest deficits is our failure to invest in infrastructure and the only way we will create the political will to do so is to show citizens that government is making wise investments.

Smart Streets

Problem

South Bend’s thriving downtown began a transformation in the 1960s and 1970s which brought widened one-way, fast moving streets that rewarded the motorists and devalued the downtown, moving people and markets to the suburbs.

Solution

Mayor Pete Buttigieg has helped lead the Smart Streets initiative, an effort to improve the role of streets within South Bend, Indiana. The initiative centers on the economic development goal of creating a sense of place and supporting a vibrant and walkable downtown. The public design-build process was innovative as it brought divergent segments of the population together to achieve rapid consensus, allowing design and engineering work to start the first project phases within a year of the first public input sessions.

Albany Broadband Initiative

Problem

The citizens of Albany are either limited to target broadband speeds or have no affordable access to broadband at all, creating a gap in the ability of some parts of the community to participate in the global economy.

Solution

To include all residents in the ongoing digital revolution, the City of Albany has created a Broadband working group consisting of community leaders to identify a reasonable assessment of the opportunities for the City, the most viable business, sustainable financial and operational models including one-time and recurring third-party funding sources (E-Rate, NYS Broadband Grant, URI, etc.), and the deployment plan that will enable the City to take advantage of these opportunities in conjunction with broadband‐friendly public policy development. Broadband expands opportunity to citizens, communities, businesses and government entities by connecting individuals and organizations to advanced communications, telemedicine, telecommuting, etc. Additionally, access to broadband helps attract and retain new businesses, helping entrepreneurs compete in the global market.

CSOnet

Problem

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) cities across the country overflow hundreds of billions of gallons of raw sewage into rivers, lakes and oceans every year. South Bend is a CSO city and as recently as 2008 overflowed 1.5-2 billion gallons of raw sewage into the Saint Joseph River annually. The City also used to have 25-30 dry weather sewage overflows to the river each year.

Solution

CSOnet is a real time decision support system that empowers the City of South Bend with understanding, control and optimization of its sewer system. CSOnet minimizes sewer overflows to the river and maximizes the capacity of the existing infrastructure.
In 2013 South Bend commissioned and launched a Sewer Watchdog tool within CSOnet that closely monitors the City’s sewer system in notoriously problem areas. This tool has empowered crews to be far more effective at solving problems, as they have gone from searching for problems to reactive maintenance, and most recently to predictive/preventative maintenance.

Mountain Accord

Problem

The Central Wasatch Mountains are “ground zero” for millions of Utah residents and visitors alike to obtain clean drinking water, experience a variety of outdoor recreational activities, and, for some, to earn a paycheck. It’s a checkerboard of land management jurisdictions, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Salt Lake City and Metropolitan Water Districts, private property owners, the ski, lodging and restaurant businesses, the Utah Department of Transportation and Salt Lake County. As growth has accelerated along both the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Back, population pressures on the watershed and natural environment have increased. Over the past few decades, more than 80 studies have partially examined the Wasatch but until now, no effort has built a comprehensive plan that seeks to balance the many competing uses and systems.

Solution

Mayor Ben McAdams helped lead the Mountain Accord initiative, an effort to bring as many stakeholders together as possible to collect and review data and gather public comment on four main areas: environment, recreation, economy and transportation and to see if consensus could be achieved to move forward from a blueprint to an approved environmental impact statement. The result was a set of agreed-to actions to influence local, regional and statewide planning and to initiate efforts to enact meaningful protections for the Central Wasatch in the face of growing pressures on this iconic and cherished landscape. Mountain Accord was a grassroots, bottom up, data driven activity that had to be supported by all of its signatories, including elected officials, private property owners, the ski industry, the environmental community, the transportation authority and others.

Cook County Land Bank Authority

Problem

Vacant housing hinders economic development, weakens the tax base and imposes significant costs on already-struggling municipalities and their taxpayers. These properties have a devastating effect on neighbors, local businesses and governments at all levels: increases in vacant housing bring increases in crime, reduction of property values and decline of the quality of life, even in previously stable communities.

Solution

The Cook County Land Bank, the largest geographic land bank in the country, was created in January 2013 as a public/private partnership to revitalize communities by redeveloping vacant land and finding new uses for abandoned buildings. The Land Bank’s goals are to reverse the cycle of neighborhood decline and promote economic development and neighborhood stabilization.

Recently, and on a national stage, the Cook County Land Bank partnered with the Federal Housing Finance Agency to launch the Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative (NSI), a pilot program that will allow Fannie Mae, as one of the largest holders of foreclosed property in the county, the ability to help the CCLBA aggressively pursue its geographic strategy by focusing on 13 Chicago and Cook County neighborhoods.

How to steal this idea:

The passage of the Cook County Land Bank Ordinance was the culmination of over three years of research and outreach to communities around Cook County and the country that had implemented innovative responses to foreclosure. The Land bank benefited from the expert guidance of over 100 stakeholders and has formed partnerships with Cook County, Metropolitan Planning Council, City of Chicago, South Suburban Land Bank Authority, Suburban Governments throughout Cook County, Local and National Banks, Realtors, For-profit and non-profit developers and affordable housing agencies.

While the CCLBA continues to receive funding from third parties, including our largest influx of funds – $4.5 million from Illinois Attorney General Madigan’s share of the 2012 National Foreclosure Settlement – the CCLBA has made unprecedented milestones in its goal of becoming a completely self-sustaining organization.

Learn more about the Cook County Land Bank Authority here.

Across the country, land banks have become an effective tool to address these challenges, reversing the cycle of decline and decay, facilitating the transfer of vacant property, and promoting economic development and neighborhood stabilization.

– Center for Community Progress
– Congressman Dan Kildee
– Detroit Land Bank
– Cuyahoga Land Bank
– Greater Syracuse Land Bank
– Genesee County Land Bank
– Twin Cities Land Bank

Visit and share the gallery of NewDEAL Challenge winners at governing.com/newdeal.

Bridging the Digital Divide

Problem

By providing access to information, connecting people to businesses, and opening up new markets, the internet is changing the economy and supporting economic development. Yet nearly 30 percent of American households do not have Internet access, according to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau. Those Americans with no online connectivity are disproportionately old, black or Hispanic, poorly educated, and low income. In order for cities to remain competitive in the increasingly digital world, the internet must be accessible to all residents, not just those who live in digital gated communities.

Solution

Through a coordinated approach, Mayor Andy Berke is leading an initiative to connect more people to high speed broadband to unlock the potential of all Chattanoogans. In April 2015, Mayor Berke announced that the City’s municipally owned electric utility, EPB, would offer low-cost, ultra high speed broadband to low-income families. In addition to increasing access to the internet, the City partnered with a local nonprofit to offer classes around the community aimed at increasing online usage and digital literacy. Participants in the program receive guidance on how to submit a resume online, open an email account, and set good rules about internet usage for minors in their home. By connecting residents to the tools they need to be successful in the digital economy, Mayor Berke is helping expand opportunity throughout Chattanooga.

West Coast Infrastructure Exchange

Problem

Solution

Bottom Up Water Planning

Problem

Solution

Preservation First

Problem

Solution

Economic and Fiscal Impact Statement for All Road Capacity Expansions

Problem

Solution

Smart Streets

Problem

Solution

Albany Broadband Initiative

Problem

Solution

CSOnet

Problem

Solution

Mountain Accord

Problem

Solution

Cook County Land Bank Authority

Problem

Solution

Bridging the Digital Divide

Problem

Solution

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