FEATURE Review by Skip Descant
Survey Paints Clear Picture Of Tomorrow's Infrastructure Needs A survey of several hundred public officials at all levels of government was taken to gather thoughts on artificial intelligence, resiliency, climate change and more when thinking on the infrastructure needs of tomorrow. Better broadband, more multimodal transportation options and an increasing awareness around cybersecurity and artificial i nt e l l i g e n c e a r e s o m e o f w h at government-sector officials note when asked about the evolution of infrastructure in the U.S.
A recent survey — conducted by Deloitte in September 2021 and released recently — called on 300 public officials across all levels of government to weigh in on these topics. “I do think that the trick is going to be resilient, flexible, customizable infrastructure. When that’s developed, I think we’ll start to see some very interesting outcomes from that,” said Avi Schwartz, a risk and financial advisory principal with Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics. Infrastructure is, of course, top of mind among countless public- and private-
OFFICES AROUND THE COUNTRY
AND IN YOUR BACKYARD.
12655 Olive Blvd. Suite 200 St. Louis, MO 63141
14
theReview May/June 2022
WWW.SIKICH.COM
314.275.7277
sector thought leaders given the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, that, over the next five years, will send some $1.2 trillion toward refurbishing, updating and repairing standard pieces of infrastructure like roads and bridges. But the legislation also charts new courses in areas like the electrification of transportation or greatly expanding access to broadband. Some 42% of survey respondents listed increased demand for broadband and internet access as one of the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest of any other impact. The infrastructure package is also public policy drafted in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, that revealed societal shortfalls in areas like social and environmental equity and the general resilience of cities. As states and local jurisdictions plan for the future through infrastructure investments, the most successful regions will be those that build resiliency and flexibility into their projects, said Schwartz. “The developers and agencies that figure out how to do that are going to have a tremendous advantage for whatever the next unforeseen pandemic or tragedy is. And that, I think, is something that I hope we see a lot more innovation around,” said Schwartz. “And I think the places that do that, whether they’re urban or suburban, I think will be attracting more people to live in them. They’re more attractive places to be,” he added.
