Rebuilding Infrastructure the Just Way

There has been increased attention recently paid to America’s vast infrastructure needs. The White House, in conjunction with the Treasury and Transportation Departments, even held a summit this week to bring together key leaders from state and local governments, as well as private sector investors, to discuss best practices for increasing investment in infrastructure projects in our communities.

We know that rebuilding America can be an effective way to rebuild our economy as well, but only if the deals are designed in a way that truly reflects the needs of our neighbors and our neighborhoods. That’s why we at In the Public Interest developed the Infrastructure Justice framework, a useful document for anyone who wants to ensure the investments that fund infrastructure projects meet the true infrastructure needs of our communities and help build the middle class.

By carefully evaluating public-private partnerships (P3s), and negotiating to include best practices for transparency, equity and fairness, we can create projects that not only rebuild our bridges and roads, but also strengthen the middle class and improve the living standards for those that build, maintain and operate these systems.

As decision-makers look to use P3s more in the future, we hope they use Infrastructure Justice: Building Equity into Infrastructure Financing as a guide for keeping the public interest at the forefront of any infrastructure project.