The Future of City Infrastructure: Delivering Health and Prosperity

By Jeremy Jackson, Senior Manager – Client Relationship Executive, for Deloitte Consulting LLP

With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act late last year, bringing $550 billion in federal funding to our nation’s infrastructure, we are on the precipice of an opportunity to achieve massive infrastructure transformation and innovation. And in Ohio, this investment has the potential to truly deliver for Ohio’s residents. 

While well over half of that funding will go to what would be considered “traditional” infrastructure projects, new funds are also aimed at innovative infrastructure. Take the $65 billion investment aimed at broadband internet projects, for example, which has the potential to innovate, improve, and even overhaul the digital delivery of content and infrastructure services to communities and residents across Ohio and the country.

My colleagues recently revealed in Deloitte Insights the results of a survey on U.S. infrastructure trends after this bill passed, and after two years of the pandemic. From the 300 public officials and government executives surveyed, Deloitte found they expect:

• An increase in eco-incentives related to climate-change impacts.

• Implementation of digital features tied to infrastructure and data security.

• An emphasis on technology, broadband and smart infrastructure. 

But the major takeaway? “Infrastructure will never be the same –– federal, state and local governments, as well as private partners –– will need to adjust.”

At Deloitte, we’ve always viewed infrastructure a bit differently, and these survey results demonstrate that we’re in line with how others are now thinking about infrastructure. First, today’s landscape calls for a more holistic approach to infrastructure projects. Officials should consider how an asset or change to that asset –– a bridge, freeway, power plant or other community resource –– impacts people in their daily lives, and how a change in that asset might help or hurt various populations. But we should also seek to understand the long-term economic, social and health impacts that these infrastructure projects will have across our communities. Because a change or update to our infrastructure in one location could have an effect on more than just those people nearby. 

Second, it’s important to consider the interconnectivity of assets. Too often, these are one-off projects –– a bridge rebuild or repair, a freeway rerouting or widening. Governments and municipalities might think about what else could be achieved with an infrastructure project such as this. For example, are there opportunities to utilize broadband for connected vehicle technologies? Could they add to EV infrastructure or charging services? Or attach improvements, such as dedicated lanes, which could make transit more efficient?

Finally, it’s important that infrastructure officials and cities look beyond traditional infrastructure, expanding that to include all that delivers health and prosperity to a community’s residents. Many cities are implementing digital dashboards that allow for a real-time accounting for all things infrastructure. And we believe that the complete infrastructure picture should now include:

• Roads and bridges, wastewater and water services.

• Broadband and digital services.

• Social services and nonprofits. 

• Healthcare providers.

• Community health data.

• Public transit.

• Shared mobility solutions.

• Parks and cultural/arts resources.

These are a handful of new infrastructure considerations, but different cities and different regions have a unique set of resources that make an impact on their residents, so it’s increasingly important to think about how each fits into this overall picture.  

Click here to learn more about what Deloitte experts see for the future of infrastructure, or reach out to me (jerjackson@deloitte.com) with questions about how we can look into new ways at Ohio’s future infrastructure demands. 

Jeremy Jackson is a Client Relationship Executive for Deloitte Consulting LLP in Columbus, representing the company before state and local government agencies.