Equitable infrastructure: Achieving resilient systems and r estorative justice through policy and research innovation

Giovannettone, Jason P., Macey, Gregg P, AghaKouchak, Amir, Barbato, Michele, Capehart, William J., Ganguly, Auroop R., Hall, Mital, Helgeson, Jennifer F., Li, Si Han, Wu, Teng, Yan, Guirong and Vahedifard, Farshid, (2024). Equitable infrastructure: Achieving resilient systems and r estorative justice through policy and research innovation. PNAS Nexus, 157-n/a

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  • Sub-type Journal article
    Author Giovannettone, Jason P.
    Macey, Gregg P
    AghaKouchak, Amir
    Barbato, Michele
    Capehart, William J.
    Ganguly, Auroop R.
    Hall, Mital
    Helgeson, Jennifer F.
    Li, Si Han
    Wu, Teng
    Yan, Guirong
    Vahedifard, Farshid
    Title Equitable infrastructure: Achieving resilient systems and r estorative justice through policy and research innovation
    Appearing in PNAS Nexus
    Publication Date 2024-04-15
    Place of Publication United Kingdom
    Publisher Oxford University Press
    Start page 157
    End page n/a
    Language eng
    Abstract Recent major investments in infrastructure in the United States and globally present a crucial opportunity to embed equity within the heart of resilient infrastructure decision-making. Yet there is a notable absence of frameworks within the engineering and scientific fields for integrating equity into planning, design, and maintenance of infrastructure. Additionally, whole-of-government approaches to infrastructure, including the Justice40 Initiative, mimic elements of process management that support exploitative rather than exploratory innovation. These and other policies risk creating innovation traps that limit analytical and engineering advances necessary to prioritize equity in decision-making, identification and disruption of mechanisms that cause or contribute to inequities, and remediation of historic harms. Here, we propose a three-tiered framework toward equitable and resilient infrastructure through restorative justice, incremental policy innovation, and exploratory research innovation. This framework aims to ensure equitable access and benefits of infrastructure, minimize risk disparities, and embrace restorative justice to repair historical and systemic inequities. We outline incremental policy innovation and exploratory research action items to address and mitigate risk disparities, emphasizing the need for community-engaged research and the development of equity metrics. Among other action items, we recommend a certification system—referred to as Social, Environmental, and Economic Development (SEED)—to train infrastructure engineers and planners and ensure attentiveness to gaps that exist within and dynamically interact across each tier of the proposed framework. Through the framework and proposed actions, we advocate for a transformative vision for equitable infrastructure that emphasizes the interconnectedness of social, environmental, and technical dimensions in infrastructure planning, design, and maintenance.
    Keyword equitable infrastructure
    resilient infrastructure
    climate change adaptation
    restorative justice
    social, environmental
    economic development (SEED) certification
    Copyright Holder author(s)
    Copyright Year 2024
    Copyright type Creative commons
    DOI 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae157
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    Created: Thu, 26 Sep 2024, 04:31:39 JST by Haideh Beigi on behalf of UNU INWEH