Rob Palter shares insights from a recent round of interviews with "government leaders, private investors, and private operators in the field of infrastructure" about how the United States can improve the poor state if its infrastructure.
When it comes to improving U.S. infrastructure, "regulatory and political issues stall the process, prolonging construction and development," according to Palter's article. "Some of this is inevitable and positive, such as improved environmental planning and better safety standards. But in too many cases, projects undergo death by a thousand meetings. Most solutions to these process problems have tended to be legislative in nature (e.g., PPP frameworks, new infrastructure delivery organizations, creative tax or financing structures) and generally fail to get implemented or get implemented in a sub-optimal manner."
Drilling down on some of the specifics, here are a few examples of how to improve the planning process (the article goes into a lot more detail in these areas:
- Shorten the planning process
- Shift risk toward the private sector
- Be a pioneer
- Think about how not to build
FULL STORY: Improve America’s infrastructure quickly? Yes, we can

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service