AIA Statement: Architects Will Work With President Trump on Infrastructure

Dan Howarth reports for Dezeen: "The American Institute of Architects will work with US president-elect Donald Trump to improve the country's infrastructure, says the organisation's chief Robert Ivy."

Ivy's words are found in a statement released shortly after the election earlier this week. "The AIA and its 89,000 members are committed to working with president-elect Trump to address the issues our country faces, particularly strengthening the nation's ageing infrastructure," says Ivy in the statement. Ivy also added the following words about the kinds of infrastructure the organization hopes President-elect Trump will build as part of an infrastructure plan that evolved in the final weeks and days o the campaign: "We stand ready to work with him and with the incoming 115th Congress to ensure that investments in schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure continue to be a major priority."

In an opinion piece also published in Dezeen, Aaron Betsky expresses doubt that Trump will be able to deliver the kinds of improvements the nation's infrastructure needs: "Neither Trump nor Clinton has shown any interest in the kind of transformative technologies that could help us leapfrog out of, rather than solve, our infrastructure problems more than her husband or his successors did." Trump's America's Infrastructure First" policy, argues Betsky, "wants to fast-track pipelines and coal export facilities. And, of course, he wants to get rid of regulations," and "[h]ow he will do this and how he will pay for it is completely unclear."

Trump's transition team also indicates his infrastructure plans might not hold to the AIA's ideas about the kinds of investments the new administration will make. In a separate article, Eric Lipton details the roster of lobbyists aiding the Trump transition team, including Michael Catanzaro, a lobbyist whose clients include "a who’s who of major corporate players — such as the Hess Corporation and Devon Energy — that have tried to challenge the Obama administration’s environmental and energy policies on issues such as how much methane gas can be released at oil and gas drilling sites, lobbying disclosure reports show."

Lipton also notes the role of Martin Whitmer, "who is overseeing 'transportation and infrastructure' for the Trump transition. He is the chairman of a Washington law firm whose lobbying clients include the Association of American Railroads and the National Asphalt Pavement Association."