Public Works & Infrastructure
Public Works & infrastructure are essential components of local and state government responsibilities. They involve the construction, maintenance, and management of vital public facilities and services such as roads, bridges, water supply, and waste management. Effective infrastructure planning ensures communities have the necessary resources for economic growth and quality of life. This directory provides articles on public works and infrastructure and related topics like Transportation, which explores the development of efficient systems for moving people and goods.
New ‘smart city’ programs will leverage technology and education to benefit residents, businesses and entrepreneurs: smart transit systems, public Wi-Fi connectivity, skills and training, public safety infrastructure and safer neighborhoods.
A new report from Public Services International points to the dangers of ‘corporate-led’ smart city initiatives and insists that these technological paradigms must be designed for people rather than profit.
A new program will provide resilient solar power combined with battery storage to approximately 6,000 homes and hundreds of businesses in Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, including those hit by recent PG&E power shutoffs.
When the road to a Hawaiian park was damaged, the state pegged long-term repairs at $4 million and balked. Local residents took over, and made the repairs themselves. In eight days. Details and examples of harnessing local volunteers are inside.
The city of Indianapolis has figured out how to generate revenue from its rooftops, not to mention great PR. Extensive details are inside, as are resources to assist cities and towns in considering similar moves, including sample RFPs, reports, studies, and “key considerations.”
Thinking about consolidating your public works and public utilities departments? See how one city is approaching the challenge, and learn what other cities have gone through the process.
The Public Works Department of South Bend, Indiana, has teamed up with the University of Notre Dame to create a high-tech flow-management system that brings unprecedented insight into a notoriously low-tech region: the sewers.
Utilizing research from failed public toilet facilities in other cities like Seattle and San Francisco, the city of Portland, Oregon, has designed, patented, built, and even sold its portable public toilets.
A combination of retirements and reorganization will save the city of Sheboygan, WI, hundreds of thousands of dollars if the plan succeeds.
Three Wisconsin communities decided to merge their health department in an effort to save more than $350,000 per year. Inside are the details, savings, and downloadable versions of the agreements.
On July 1, the city of Sparks, Nevada, began outsourcing a majority of its street sweeping duties to a private, California-based contractor. The move will save the city approximately $107,000 in the first year.
The State of Louisiana has announced $10 million in grant money for both its Louisiana Government Assistance Program (LGAP) and its Community Water Enrichment Fund (CWEF) for FY 2019 to 2020.
The Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams Grant Program was authorized by a 2016 federal law to supply $445 million over 10 years. But Congress didn’t fund the $10 million annual allotment for 2017 or 2018, and funded just $10 million of the $25 million authorized for 2019.
Through the Ohio Coastal Management Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration coastal management assistance grants will address five projects in the Lake Erie region.
FEMA’s High Hazard Potential Dam grants provide assistance to non-federal dams in danger of failing and threatening human life and water infrastructure.
The USDA’s ReConnect Program plans to expand the use of rural broadband Internet to areas that currently lack high-speed connectivity.
About 1/3 of the water utilities workforce is eligible to retire in the next decade. EPA and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will establish a workforce development grant for the sector.
America’s aging municipal buildings continue to demand increased attention, renovations and upgrades to maintain quality. State and federal grants may help defray costs
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