Download or read book The Road Taken written by Henry Petroski and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-02-16 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A renowned historian and engineer explores the past, present, and future of America's crumbling infrastructure. Acclaimed engineer and historian Henry Petroski explores our core infrastructure from both historical and contemporary perspectives, explaining how essential their maintenance is to America's economic health. Petroski reveals the genesis of the many parts of America's highway system--our interstate numbering system, the centerline that divides roads, and such taken-for-granted objects as guardrails, stop signs, and traffic lights--all crucial to our national and local infrastructure. A compelling work of history, The Road Taken is also an urgent clarion call aimed at American citizens, politicians, and anyone with a vested interest in our economic well-being. Physical infrastructure in the United States is crumbling, and Petroski reveals the complex and challenging interplay between government and industry inherent in major infrastructure improvement. The road we take in the next decade toward rebuilding our aging infrastructure will in large part determine our future national prosperity.
Download or read book America s Infrastructure written by Lisa Idzikowski and published by Greenhaven Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2018-12-15 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engineers argue that inadequate maintenance of roads, bridges, airports, waterways, and other critical aspects of infrastructure along with underinvestment have created an infrastructure crisis in the United States. Many politicians agree with this claim and are attempting to take action. However, we are faced with the issue of which projects are most essential and how to fund them. Is the state of America's infrastructure that dire compared to the rest of the world? Are these efforts to improve it a cynical ploy from politicians to gain attention and ensure reelection? This volume considers the many perspectives of this pressing issue.
Download or read book Rethinking America s Highways written by Robert W. Poole and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-08-03 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A transportation expert makes a provocative case for changing the nation’s approach to highways, offering “bold, innovative thinking on infrastructure” (Rick Geddes, Cornell University). Americans spend hours every day sitting in traffic. And the roads they idle on are often rough and potholed, with exits, tunnels, guardrails, and bridges in terrible disrepair. According to transportation expert Robert Poole, this congestion and deterioration are outcomes of the way America manages its highways. Our twentieth-century model overly politicizes highway investment decisions, short-changing maintenance and often investing in projects whose costs exceed their benefits. In Rethinking America’s Highways, Poole examines how our current model of state-owned highways came about and why it is failing to satisfy its customers. He argues for a new model that treats highways themselves as public utilities—like electricity, telephones, and water supply. If highways were provided commercially, Poole argues, people would pay for highways based on how much they used, and the companies would issue revenue bonds to invest in facilities people were willing to pay for. Arguing for highway investments to be motivated by economic rather than political factors, this book makes a carefully-reasoned and well-documented case for a new approach to highways.
Download or read book Too Big to Fall written by Barry B. LePatner and published by UPNE. This book was released on 2010 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive overview of the shocking state of our nation's infrastructure and what must be done to fix it
Download or read book The Road to Renewal written by R. Richard Geddes and published by Government Institutes. This book was released on 2011 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In The Road to Renewal: Private Investment in U.S. Transportation Infrastructure, R. Richard Geddes surveys the current state of the American transportation system and finds that, like the roads themselves, the existing policy approach is in desperate need of repair. Drawing on the basic economic principles behind supply, demand, competition, and incentives, Geddes argues that a shift toward increased use of public-private partnerships (PPPs)--contractual agreements between public agencies and private parties that allow private participation in the design, construction, operation, and delivery of transportation facilities--could significantly improve the quality of America's transportation infrastructure. By learning to see themselves as customers and investors--rather than mere users--of roads and highways, Americans should expect to receive a reasonable return on their investment: thorough, effective maintenance of America's transportation infrastructure. The Road to Renewal shows how incorporating increased private participation can halt the deterioration of America's transportation system and become the foundation for a safer, more efficient transportation future."--P. [4] of cover.
Download or read book Economic Analysis and Infrastructure Investment written by Edward L. Glaeser and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2021-11-11 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Policy-makers often call for expanding public spending on infrastructure, which includes a broad range of investments from roads and bridges to digital networks that will expand access to high-speed broadband. Some point to near-term macro-economic benefits and job creation, others focus on long-term effects on productivity and economic growth. This volume explores the links between infrastructure spending and economic outcomes, as well as key economic issues in the funding and management of infrastructure projects. It draws together research studies that describe the short-run stimulus effects of infrastructure spending, develop new estimates of the stock of U.S. infrastructure capital, and explore the incentive aspects of public-private partnerships (PPPs). A salient issue is the treatment of risk in evaluating publicly-funded infrastructure projects and in connection with PPPs. The goal of the volume is to provide a reference for researchers seeking to expand research on infrastructure issues, and for policy-makers tasked with determining the appropriate level of infrastructure spending"--
Download or read book 2009 Report Card for America s Infrastructure written by American Society of Civil Engineers and published by ASCE Publications. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Details the rationale behind grades in 15 categories as announced by ASCE. This book presents an analysis of each category, an assessment of your state's status, case studies of successful projects, suggestions for actions you can take and ways you can get involved, and more.
Download or read book Investing in America s Infrastructure written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Public Works and Transportation. Subcommittee on Economic Development and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 594 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book International Trade and Transportation Infrastructure Development written by Juan Carlos Villa and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2020-04-24 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: International Trade and Transportation Infrastructure Development: Experiences in North America and Europe examines the impact of trade agreements, such as the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union Customs Union, and their relationship to transportation systems and infrastructure in member countries. It analyzes historical trade by mode, evaluating modal shifts due to trade policy and disputes, and their implications for all involved nations. This book also examines both supply and demand trends, reviewing transportation processes, and the stakeholders involved. Capacity development, funding mechanisms, and operational characteristics of each mode are detailed in relation to the policies that influence them. The book reviews recent trends and the impact of disruptive technologies, as well as future potential regulatory changes, with relation to upcoming infrastructure plans, project funding, and operations. This book is an ideal reference for transportation practitioners involved in planning, feasibility studies, consultation and policy for international transportation systems or infrastructure. Academic researchers and graduate students in transportation planning, international relations, and trade will also find this book useful.
Download or read book From Structures to Services written by Eduardo Cavallo and published by . This book was released on 2020-08-07 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book America in Ruins written by Pat Choate and published by Durham, N.C. : Duke Press Paperbacks. This book was released on 1983 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book No Little Plans written by Ian Wray and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his new book Ian Wray asks what role the US public sector has played and should play in the country's major projects, and whether it is help or hindrance to enterprise and innovation.
Download or read book VISION written by Norman F. Anderson and published by Strategic Infrastructure Performance Institute. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With his signature straightforward candor, Washington D.C. infrastructure guru Norman F. Anderson unleashes a fascinating, nation-saving plan for the future that is rooted in two questions: What will the U.S. look like in 2030, and what do we want it to look like? Anderson's analysis is driven by the crisis facing America as the cornerstones of society — vast, fast highways; power stations; and telecommunications networks — languish from lack of funds, while the huge opportunity in new infrastructure, including AI, 5G, and new forms of mobility, are set-up to drive extraordinary productive and opportunity across the U.S. economy. What do we need? Leadership, political will, and, ultimately an engaging vision. The answers he offers are equal parts inspiring, terrifying and utterly sensible. In twelve chapters, Anderson explores the nature and power of vision, demonstrating that, as the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds in real-time, driven by 5G, machine learning and AI, infrastructure must become the essential strategic pillar of American society — one that, if built and nurtured, will bolster our economy, job market, national security and quality of life. It's where the battlefield on which our bifurcated battle with China is being played out. Anderson uncovers the vast obstacles that have crippled infrastructure growth in the U.S. over the last thirty years and talks to industry veterans and cutting edge-technologists about shifting from a broken system to one that works - and one that will once again allow the U.S. to drive infrastructure growth around the world (especially in the critical areas of health and mobility). Along the way, he shares the mind-bending projects of the future that are under development, explains the dangers of failing to counter China’s explosive infrastructure growth, and provides our leaders in Washington with a ten-point plan to remake America as an infrastructure leader. Engaging, timely and daring, Vision: Our Strategic Infrastructure Roadmap Forward turns the stereotyped perceptions of infrastructure on their head. Infrastructure is not tedious subject-matter for wonks who love constructing roads and power-lines — it is core to our economic and social strategy, the DNA that will define our society. And this book is an eye-opening treatise on how to create a future that works for all of us.
Download or read book Next Generation Infrastructure written by Hillary Brown and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In response to the infrastructure crisis in the U.S.--brought to the forefront by the Minneapolis bridge collapse and the devastation of Hurricane Sandy--Hillary Brown proposes a new way to approach infrastructure needs. The alternative approach proposed in this volume calls for more diversified, distributed, and interconnected infrastructure that integrates (and in some cases mimics) natural systems"--
Download or read book Inside the Infrastructure Revolution A Roadmap for Rebuilding America written by Mary Scott Nabers and published by Platform Press. This book was released on 2018-02-22 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A government procurement expert makes the case that public officials at all levels should rethink how they deliver services, describing in detail the innovative ways that essential infrastructure and public service needs are being financed and completed sooner, better, and with less stress on limited government budgets.
Download or read book America the Vulnerable written by Joel Brenner and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-09-29 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now available in a new edition entitled GLASS HOUSES: Privacy, Secrecy, and Cyber Insecurity in a Transparent World. A former top-level National Security Agency insider goes behind the headlines to explore America's next great battleground: digital security. An urgent wake-up call that identifies our foes; unveils their methods; and charts the dire consequences for government, business, and individuals. Shortly after 9/11, Joel Brenner entered the inner sanctum of American espionage, first as the inspector general of the National Security Agency, then as the head of counterintelligence for the director of national intelligence. He saw at close range the battleground on which our adversaries are now attacking us-cyberspace. We are at the mercy of a new generation of spies who operate remotely from China, the Middle East, Russia, even France, among many other places. These operatives have already shown their ability to penetrate our power plants, steal our latest submarine technology, rob our banks, and invade the Pentagon's secret communications systems. Incidents like the WikiLeaks posting of secret U.S. State Department cables hint at the urgency of this problem, but they hardly reveal its extent or its danger. Our government and corporations are a "glass house," all but transparent to our adversaries. Counterfeit computer chips have found their way into our fighter aircraft; the Chinese stole a new radar system that the navy spent billions to develop; our own soldiers used intentionally corrupted thumb drives to download classified intel from laptops in Iraq. And much more. Dispatches from the corporate world are just as dire. In 2008, hackers lifted customer files from the Royal Bank of Scotland and used them to withdraw $9 million in half an hour from ATMs in the United States, Britain, and Canada. If that was a traditional heist, it would be counted as one of the largest in history. Worldwide, corporations lose on average $5 million worth of intellectual property apiece annually, and big companies lose many times that. The structure and culture of the Internet favor spies over governments and corporations, and hackers over privacy, and we've done little to alter that balance. Brenner draws on his extraordinary background to show how to right this imbalance and bring to cyberspace the freedom, accountability, and security we expect elsewhere in our lives. In America the Vulnerable, Brenner offers a chilling and revelatory appraisal of the new faces of war and espionage-virtual battles with dangerous implications for government, business, and all of us.
Download or read book The I 35W Bridge Collapse written by Kimberly J. Brown (Journalist) and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2018-07-01 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A bridge shouldn't just fall down," Senator Amy Klobuchar said after the August 1, 2007, collapse of the Minneapolis I-35W eight-lane steel truss bridge, which killed 13 motorists, injured 145, and left a collective wound on the city's psyche and infrastructure. On her way to a soccer game with a fellow teammate, Kimberly J. Brown experienced the collapse firsthand, falling 114 feet in her teammate's car to the Mississippi River. Although terrified, injured, and in shock, she survived. In this sobering memoir and exposé, Brown recounts her harrowing experience. In the aftermath of the disaster, Brown became both an advocate for survivors and an unofficial whistle-blower about decaying infrastructure. She details her investigation and correspondence with Thornton Tomasetti engineers, including the false official account of the collapse and the eventual revelation of its real causes. In addition, she chronicles the ongoing decay of America's bridges and the continuing challenges faced by leaders to address infrastructure problems across the country. After nearly a decade of research into the collapse and her active and ongoing recovery from psychic and physical injuries, Brown shares her experience and answers the questions we should all be asking: Why did this bridge collapse? And what could have been done to prevent this tragedy?
