Next Generation Infrastructure: Catalyzing Sustainable, Profitable, and Equitable Communities

According to the World Economic Forum, "Infrastructure is a system of systems that links the built environment, the natural world, and the human experience." Cities and towns are archetypal "system of systems" where everything connects to and impacts everything else. Infrastructure, services, open spaces, community activities, and more cannot and should not be addressed in isolation. Recognizing, devising, instituting, and operationalizing a comprehensive, integrated systems-based approach to delivering multifunctional and next-generation infrastructure is essential to the future of all communities. Given the scale of the anticipated global infrastructure spend of $97 trillion dollars through 2040, including a $15-trillion-dollar funding gap, now is the time to pivot to new delivery models that comprehensively address equitable, sustainable, and economically viable alternatives to conventional infrastructure solutions. This panel will explore blurring the distinction between infrastructure, community regeneration, commercial development, sustainability, and social equity via a differentiated approach to project initiation and delivery.