Featuring Dean Jodi Sandfort, a recent episode of Carnegie Mellon University’s podcast Consequential – “Intro to Infrastructure” – looked at the current state of US infrastructure, as well as past and future infrastructure reform.
While infrastructure may have taken center stage in this year’s policy discussions, the United States has ben trying to figure out what to do about our infrastructure for a long time.
“We have been in an era, in the last 70 to 80 years, where we haven’t invested in the physical or social infrastructure from the federal government,” Dean Sandfort explained, “I think that’s why [our nation’s leaders] are realizing that although they have very different political orientations these kinds of basic investments are critical for the country.”
Infrastructure and inequality go hand in hand. There are widespread infrastructure problems that affect every state, but there are certain places and certain populations that feel the brunt of inconsistent investment.
“The short term outcome of the federal government is to provide desperately needed resources in an equitable way throughout the country,” Dean Sandfort continued. “State and local governments have stepped in because there have been no other options, which creates incredible inequities across the country.”
Listen to the episode on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.