What regional leaders want from Biden’s infrastructure bill

Now with a major congressional negotiation on infrastructure underway and a new presidential administration in place, federal leaders have a historic opportunity to revisit past policies to better support today’s metropolitan leaders and their contemporary ambitions. That process, though, must start with a clear understanding of what regional leaders need—and not just infrastructure agencies, but also the business leadership and community groups that all collaborate to build competitive, inclusive, and resilient economies. Respondents of Brookings' regional leaders survey were intimately aware of the nuanced infrastructure needs in their region: declines in transit ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic, energy grid upgrades, expanding broadband, and more. Concerns around transit and economic equity coalesced around infrastructure maintenance and interrelated disparities within transportation, water, and broadband access. Federal programs which work to ameliorate these inequities are seen by respondents as insufficient, and do not reflect modern realities. Additionally, planning guidelines either do not require projects to form around a common vision (such as long-range transportation plans) or there is no long-range planning requirement at all (such as within the broadband sector).