How Can America's Infrastructure Challenges Be Solved?

Planetizen managing editor Jonathan Nettler recently spoke with Steven Anderson, founder and managing director of InfrastructureUSA, about the country's infrastructure challenges and how local communities are finding creative ways to solve them.

1 minute read

April 10, 2012, 12:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


With the United States' overdue infrastructure tab approaching $2.3 trillion, or more, over the next decade to modernize the country's aging transportation, energy, and water infrastructure, Nettler spoke about the reasons he perceives such issues are not getting addressed and fail to get the attention they deserve:

"one challenge is that, with infrastructure, is that itʼs unseen. Itʼs something that, until thereʼs a real crisis...people assume that the people that theyʼve elected and the people theyʼre paying their taxes to are handling these problems. I think the other issue is that, certainly today, itʼs incredibly difficult to marshal the resources to tackle these issues and to get the political will behind spending money."

And on the ways in which localities are working to address their infrastructure challenges:

"what cities across the country are realizing -- you see this in Los Angeles with the "Measure R" funding, which is entirely locally funding for transit improvements; you see this recently in Chicago just last week with Mayor Emmanuelʼs announcement -- is that cities and localities are realizing that to tackle these urgent issues, theyʼre going to have to take matters into their own hands and really move beyond reliance on leadership and funding from the federal level because things just arenʼt getting done and these problems continue to get worse."

Monday, April 9, 2012 in InfrastructureUSA

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

4 seconds ago - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

1 hour ago - KQED

Tents inhabited by unhoused people lined up on sidewalk in Los Angeles, California in front of industrial building.

California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling

An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.

2 hours ago - Times of San Diego

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.