The Infrastructure Needs of a 21st Century City—A U.S. Perspective

At the Institute of Brazilian Issues at the George Washington University, Emilia Istrate spoke with a group of Brazilian development experts on the infrastructure needs of a metropolitan area, from a U.S. perspective.

Istrate began by stating that metropolitan areas are the economic engines of the U.S. economy, and that most of the nation’s infrastructure assets are concentrated there. However, Istrate argued that the federal government is struggling to deal with the infrastructure constraints posed by these areas. The challenges of the 21st century, she said, require that any infrastructure investment, in the U.S. or in other parts of the world, should be metropolitan, integrated, competitive, optimized, and transparent.

In conclusion, Istrate presented the current U.S. efforts in this direction.