Investing in Multiple Benefits Historically, infrastructure systems have been very costly and are built to serve a single purpose such as transportation, drainage, or recreation. As infrastructure ages and budgets shrink, there is a growing demand for replacement strategies that are more resource efficient and serve multiple necessary functions. This is particularly true given increased rates of community development, and the inability of individual communities to pay for systems that keep up with their own demand and the cumulative impacts of development from neighboring communities. Designing infrastructure with multiple functions (multifunctionality) allows for the integration of social, environmental, and economic considerations to get the most benefit for the money spent. Social functions include recreation, cultural heritage, education, and other benefits directly experienced by members of the community. Environmental functions include water storage and filtration, biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, and other benefits and for environmental health that also indirectly benefit community members. Economic functions of multifunctionality include a reduced need for expensive engineering solutions, food production, energy efficiency, and other benefits that have a market value.
infrastructure Infrastructure is the fixed system of public works that a community and its economy need to function. There are two general categories of infrastructure, hard and soft. Hard infrastructure refers to the physical networks necessary for basic functions (e.g. roads, water & sewer, drainage, and telecommunications). Soft infrastructure refers to the institutions that maintain community and economic health (e.g. schools, parks & open space, health care).
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Resilient & Healthy Baker
