At a June 5 panel discussion, co-hosted with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, MPC featured national and local experts discussing federal investment reforms necessary to create viable infrastructure in the Chicago region.
With the region’s urgent need for job creation and the glut of evidence that our transportation, water and energy infrastructure are in woeful disrepair, this the opportune moment to reform our public spending priorities. MPC’s summer lecture series,
Reinventing Public Investment, a partnership with the
Chicago Architecture Foundation, explores that very subject.
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At the first forum of the series on June 5, Robert Puentes, metropolitan policy expert for the
Brookings Institution, Dr. Charles Dowding of Northwestern University and
ASCE member, and Jacky Grimshaw, vice president at
the Center for Neighborhood Technology discussed how federal programs have guided investments in the past and how they need to change to ensure Chicago stays globally competitive, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable.
The panelists agreed current spending patterns deplete our natural resources and fail to meet the needs of working families. Dr. Dowding stated, “during the 1950s, 2.5% of U.S. GDP went into infrastructure, while today such investments make up only 0.5% of GDP.” This, explained Dowding, is saddling future generations with high maintenance costs and debt. He also emphasized the undervaluation of water, in particular, and urged local lawmakers to increase federal leadership and address life-cycle costs and ongoing maintenance before deciding to start building anew.
Ms. Grimshaw elaborated on Dowding’s concerns about water usage in Illinois and expressed support for several policy initiatives she believes ‘hold water’, such as the 20 percent set-aside green initiatives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s water allocation.
Mr. Puentes noted encouraging signs of change from the federal government, which he believes is prepared to exercise more leadership on transportation and urban growth issues. However, state and local institutions must be equally innovative, Puentes advised, to ensure sustainable, equitable investment in the years to come.
The launch of the
Reinventing Public Investment lecture series coincides with the release of an MPC white paper -
Goal-driven, Right-sized and Coordinated: Federal Investment Reform for the 21st Century – which outlines principles for wiser investment policies and highlights five examples of them in action.
The second event in the series – on the topic of
Creating Livable Communities in the Chicago Region- will be July 14, from 12:00p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the MPC Conference Center.
Panelists Include:
Don Chen of the
Ford Foundation and founder of
Smart Growth America
Todd Brown of
ShoreBank
Catherine Baker of
Landon, Bone, Baker Architects
Doug Farr of
Farr Associates
For more information about the lecture series or MPC’s commitment to federal investment reform, please contact Josh Ellis at
jellis@metroplanning.org or (312) 863-6045.