Mayors from across the country called for a restructuring of infrastructure investment that would stimulate the economy and create thousands of good jobs.
Called “America’s new Playbook on Infrastructure,” the book goes beyond the call for investment into infrastructure and urges the federal government to overhaul how infrastructure is financed. According to the New Partnership on Infrastructure that released the book, local government needs and autonomy need to take priority for infrastructure investing to be effective in stimulating the economy.
“Justice for all is only possible when all Americans have access to economic security. That is the fundamental principle behind this Playbook and its call for infrastructure investment to be an essential component of our nation’s recovery policy,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Calif., who co-founded and is Advisory Council Chair of Accelerator for America, which leads the Partnership. “Infrastructure investment can and should play an essential role in not just recovering from the current crisis, but building a future that is far better than the pre-COVID status quo.”
According to the Partnership, the Playbook was developed around the principles that the country must not just recover, but rebuild; that local innovation, aligned with federal policy, should be the driving force for recovery; that growth in small and minority-owned businesses will support community growth while breaking the cycles of racial inequity and that funding for local, good-paying jobs will grow America’s workforce quickly.
The playbook was formed after the Partnership interviewed mayors and appointed officials on the front lines. Having conducted the interviews since March, the playbook looks at infrastructure investment through the lens of COVID-19.
The Partnership was created in February to present ideas on infrastructure to Democratic presidential candidates during a forum in Las Vegas. However, the group was re-tooled after the COVID-19 crisis hit in March.
The Partnership said it believes infrastructure investment is essential to accelerating America’s economic recovery, estimating that for every $1 billion of investment in the country’s roads, bridges, transit systems, and utilities, 22,000 jobs are created.
“Instead of trying to build back exactly what we had, how do we build back a fairer place, one that has more opportunities for more people?” said Mayor Andy Berke of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Among the recommendations in the playbook are:
• Establishing a national training center for infrastructure workforce development
• Incentivizing state and local agencies to hire small businesses.
• Creating and expanding federal grant incentives that drive innovation.
• Reducing the burden of environmental review without compromising environmental stewardship.
• Clearing regulatory hurdles that restrict cities from installing fiber optic cable.
• Providing long-term operational funding through stimulus dollars
• Focusing recovery dollars on State of Good Repair