America’s infrastructure is aging, and the solutions to repair transportation, waterways, construction and urban and rural environments are hot-button issues for all engineers, the general public and for politicians. Learn the facts about these issues through our 50 must-see report cards, studies and infographics on this country’s crumbling infrastructures.
The list is categorized, and each link is listed alphabetically within those categories.
Overall Infrastructure Reports
- America’s Crumbling Infrastructure: The History Channel prepared this broadcast in 2009, using expert interviews, on-location shooting and computer-generated animation.
- America’s Infrastructure: Ramping Up or Crashing Down [PDF]: This report was prepared by the Brookings Institute on 2006 and 2007 forums.
- Blueprint America: This PBS project provides a spotlight on America’s decaying and neglected infrastructure.
- Financing America’s Infrastructure: This 2008 report shows the limits on available funds for rebuilding in federal, state, and local government coffers.
- Future Investment in Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure: This is a Congressional Budget Office Report from 2002 that looks at future decades and possible issues.
- Infrastructure USA: This is an online community that discusses and reports on civil infrastructure through images, polls and a blog.
- Remarks by the President [Obama] on Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure: This 2010 speech states that America’s roads cost Americans $80 billion a year in lost productivity and wasted fuel.
- Report Card for America’s Infrastructure: You want a full report? This is where you can find it, from aviation to wastewater, provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
- U.S. Aging Infrastructure: Which Sectors Are Primed for Private Investing Growth? This report focuses on the financial perspectives involved with possible growth in various infrastructure areas.
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development: Focus areas include energy and climate, development and ecosystems in projects that range from water to mining and minerals.
Urban and Rural Infrastructure
- A national assessment of green infrastructure and change for the conterminous United States using morphological image processing [PDF]: This report focuses on green infrastructure.
- American Planning Association: This site focuses on urban planning, community involvement and education.
- Case Studies — Green Schools and Universities: You’ll find descriptions, photographs, and plans of high performance green school and university facilities.
- Educational Infrastructure: The Inter-American Development Bank offers a project that responds to the demand for schools.
- Grand Challenges for Engineering: The National Academy of Engineering looks at numerous challenges to development and current infrastructures.
- IGERT: The University of Colorado at Denver focuses on sustainable urban infrastructure as it integrates engineering, planning, policy, health and human behavior perspectives.
- Rural Infrastructure: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is placing increasing emphasis on rural infrastructure.
- Smarter Cities: IBM looks at the need for safer neighborhoods, quality schools, affordable housing and traffic that flows.
- Strengthening the Rural Economy — Strengthening Rural Infrastructure: The White House reports on rural transportation, telecommunications, and energy and water infrastructure.
- The Pressure on Urban Infrastructure [PDF]: As society changes, the demand for infrastructure also changes. This report focuses on this progress as it pertains to urban developments.
Transportation Infrastructure
- 2008 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges, and Transit: This report is available as individual chapters in Adobe PDF format.
- 2009 National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission Report [PDF]: A bipartisan Congressional commission offers its consensus view and road map for reform of the nation’s transportation infrastructure funding approach.
- America’s Bridges are Falling Down: Robert Longly, About.com’s U.S. Government Info Guide, provides this 2009 report on America’s bridges.
- America’s Bridges Still Falling Down: CBS offered a 2008 report card on America’s bridges one year after the deadly Minneapolis bridge collapse.
- GAO Public Transportation [PDF]: This is the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s 2009 report to Congressional Committees.
- Keeping America’s Bridges Safe and Sound: This is a “Bridging the Gap” report offered by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHO).
- National Association of Railroad Passengers: NARP, the largest national membership advocacy organization for train and rail transit passengers, reports on rail as travel alternative.
- PublicTransit.us: This site offers a wealth of information about public transit, and offers links to many other sites concerned about building and rebuilding public transport systems.
- Restoring America’s Bridges [PDF]: This presentation is a report card on current conditions and for possible solutions to failing bridges.
- Rail Planning: This blog is dedicated to the global practice and application of freight and passenger rail planning.
- Top 4 Ways to Spend Money on U.S. Air Travel Infrastructure: This Popular Mechanics article outlines ways to improve aviation infrastructure.
Waterways Infrastructures
- A 21st Century Waterways Infrastructure [PDF]: The National Trade Association of the Tugboat, Towboat and Barge Industry offer this short and concise report.
- Dams and Dam Removal: This American Rivers site plays a leadership role in the Hydropower Reform Coalition, working to reform dam operations.
- Infrastructure Protection Report: Amusement, Theme, and Water Parks: This report looks at possibilities of terrorist attacks on park facilities.
- National Committee on Levee Safety: The NCLS is a committee of federal, state, local, and private sector members with the direction from Congress to prepare recommendations and a strategic implementation plan on a National Levee Safety Program.
- Old American Dams Quietly Become a Multibillion-Dollar Threat: Wired offers a 2009 rundown on American dams with numerous links to other reports.
- Ports and Navigable Waterways — Immigration and Infrastructure: The Social Contract Press offers this 2008-2009 report on marine infrastucture, including port facilities and navigable waterways.
- Projects and Facilities Database: On this website, Reclamation projects located throughout the Western U.S. are reviewed in detail.
- The Evolution of Stormwater Quality Control: Learn more about this history and about today’s requirements and hopes for the future.
- Water Conservation in Schools: This is the National Institute of Building Sciences resource list of links, books and journal articles on water issues in school buildings and grounds.
- Water Infrastructure: This EPA report branches out into a variety of waterways/WaterSense and sustainable infrastructure issues.
Solutions, News, Action Groups and Tools
- America’s Infrastructure: Miller Center National Discussion and Debate Series: This is a PBS lesson plan for 7-12 grades, but can be used for discussion groups as well.
- Building America’s Future: This site is a bipartisan coalition of elected officials dedicated to bringing about a new era of U.S. investment in infrastructure.
- Guiding Principles for Strengthening America’s Infrastructure [PDF]: The Center for Strategic and International Studies prepared this report in 2006.
- Here’s What the Future of America’s Infrastructure Might Look Like: This article covers several topics, from transportation to sewage.
- Rebuilding America Special Report: How to Fix U.S. Infrastructure: In 2008, Popular Mechanics uncovered the ideas, engineering and technology required to fix America’s infrastructure.
- Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure: This site supports engineers and transportation professionals.
- Rebuilding and Renewing America: This infrastructure portion of the America 2050 site offers responses to repairing the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure systems.
- Save America’s Infrastructure: This Facebook page belongs to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
- Transportation for America: This coalition of housing, business, environmental, public health, transportation, equitable development, and other organizations seek to realize a better transportation system that works for all Americans.
Did you enjoy this article?
