Rethinking Infrastructure Policy in California

Two recent studies released by the Public Policy Institute of California(PPIC) assess the ways in which infrastructure is currently provided and make a number of bold recommendations about how the statemight bridge the chasm between identified needs and available revenues. In California’s Infrastructure Policy for the 21st Century: Issues and Opportunities, author David Dowall recommends that to meet future need,the state must move away from infrastructure provision and toward infrastructure management and policymaking. Although hisrecommendations are ambitious, the rewards may be enormous: Dowall estimates that the potential financial impact of shifting to ademand-oriented approach to infrastructure planning may generate enough cost-savings to close the state’s infrastructure gap. InBuilding California’s Future: Current Conditions in Infrastructure Planning, Budgeting, and Financing, authors Michael Neuman and JanWhittington examine the ways in which infrastructure decisions are currently made and, in the process, reveal the limitations andinefficiencies of the present system. Full report is available on PPIC's website.