Urban Infrastructure (PDF)

The magnitude of investment, the long time-frames involved and the
influence of pre-existing infrastructure on urban infrastructure
provision make a co-ordinated approach to forward-planning, policy
development and implementation essential.

There are major challenges in making decisions on urban
infrastructure and getting management structures and processes in
place. Getting it right generates long-term dividends; getting it
wrong involves major costs, often borne by taxpayers.

Urban Infrastructure: finance and management is posited
on a strong belief that the physical structure of cities and the
efficiency of infrastructure services delivered are driven by
efficiencies within individual infrastructure sectors, lessons
learnt across these sectors and the ability to co-ordinate and
integrate sectors to generate economies of scale. This
necessitates an interdisciplinary approach, integrating knowledge
from finance, governance, planning and management as well as the
characteristics of the individual urban infrastructure sectors
involved. Here it is not only about getting the initial decisions
and policy settings right, but also ensuring effective
implementation. A major theme running through the book is the
nature of institutions and the governance structures responsible
for delivery and management of urban infrastructure and the
decision making processes involved.

The editors have taken a deliberately pragmatic approach to the
finance and management of urban infrastructure; chapters are
cross-sectorial and present both theory and practice. This book is
for students and practitioners in policy, planning, urban
management, infrastructure finance and management.