Infrastructure Resources

September 13, 2019

Examples of our decaying infrastructure abound in our daily lives as we dodge potholes, endure water main breaks, and board worn and inefficient subways. What is equally antiquated, much less apparent, but potentially far more threatening is our decaying electrical grid.

The  Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future, by Gretchen Bakke and published by St. Martin’s Press, is an interesting and accessible discussion of the condition of the American electrical grid. The reader will become familiar with the current challenges of the grid, which are considerable (frequent brownouts and blackouts, deferred maintenance, vulnerability to cyber-attacks, etc.). Of perhaps greater importance, however, is how unequipped the grid is for the surge in alternative power generation. While wind and solar are critical to addressing climate change, they create enormous challenges for the traditional grid, which is not designed to accommodate the irregularity of these new sources. 

April 3, 2019

In Move: How to Rebuild and Reinvent America’s Infrastructure, Harvard Business School Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter provides an interesting and useful look at the many innovative approaches that various communities, states, and cities are taking to address America’s crumbling transportation infrastructure. While Congress flirts from time to time with a massive, centralized “infrastructure spend,” many localities are not waiting to address the issues within their communities. Kanter uses this national survey to distill and share some of the best thinking and practices that provide a path to renewal.