Investing in Multiple Benefits Historically, cities in the United States have relied on single purpose infrastructure systems that are very costly to construct and maintain. Much of today’s landscape is characterized by aging infrastructure at the end of its lifecycle. Financial constraints caused by shrinking budgets fuel demand among cities for new approaches to infrastructure designed to be more resource efficient by providing multiple, complementary benefits. This need is more acute in communities with high rates of growth and development. These communities often experience difficulty affording system upgrades at the pace necessary to meet local demand and respond to the cumulative impacts from development in adjacent jurisdictions. To maximize benefits for public expenditures, designers consider social, environmental, and economic factors to design infrastructure systems to serve multiple functions, or have multifunctionality. Recreation, cultural expression, and education are examples of social functions that infrastructure investments can provide. Communities may also consider water storage and filtration, biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, and other environmental benefits that indirectly improve quality of life. Multifunctional infrastructure projects may also offer economic benefits, such as a reduced need for expensive engineering solutions, food production, energy efficiency, and other benefits that have 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 and sewer, drainage, and telecommunications). Soft infrastructure refers to the institutions that maintain community and economic health (e.g. schools, parks and open space, health care).
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Denham Springs Resilience
