{"id":5576,"date":"2025-05-13T13:35:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T13:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/?p=5576"},"modified":"2025-05-13T14:14:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T14:14:30","slug":"end-infrastructure-paralysis-philip-k-howard-calls-for-new-framework-to-modernize-u-s-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/2025\/05\/13\/end-infrastructure-paralysis-philip-k-howard-calls-for-new-framework-to-modernize-u-s-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"End Infrastructure Paralysis: Philip K. Howard Calls for New Framework to Modernize U.S. Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>New York, NY<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 At the start of Infrastructure Week, Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard called today for the United States to end its infrastructure paralysis by adopting a new framework to modernize U.S. infrastructure. This framework would replace balkanized approvals by multiple agencies and multiple levels of government with one decision-making hierarchy. The designated decision-making agency would differ by type of project, and would have the job of receiving input from other interested departments, but it would have authority to make tradeoffs that weigh benefits and harms. This would be a radical simplification of government.<\/p>\n<p>The new framework is described in detail in a recent report by Philip K. Howard for the Manhattan Institute titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/manhattan.institute\/article\/escape-from-quicksand-a-new-framework-for-modernizing-america?utm_source=press_release&amp;utm_medium=email\">Escape from Quicksand: A New Framework for Modernizing America<\/a>.\u201d In it, he proposes a three-part approach:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A new legal framework that designates lead agencies with final authority to approve projects, requires processes mainly as tools for transparency rather than rules mandating strict compliance, and constrains judicial review to overseeing the scope of authority.<\/li>\n<li>A new institution\u2014the National Infrastructure Board\u2014to provide oversight and public trust, shielding officials from political backlash and inspiring public trust.<\/li>\n<li>A nonpartisan recodification commission, modeled on commissions for base closures, to design and propose the details of these reforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaws should provide the framework within which elected and appointed officials have room to make the decisions needed for the public good,\u201d writes Philip K. Howard. \u201cAttempts to streamline red tape are futile, because there\u2019s too much of it\u2014an exercise akin to trying to prune the jungle. Instead, real reform requires granting officials authority to achieve results. They should be accountable politically for the wisdom of their choices, but judicially only when they violate the boundaries of their authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>America\u2019s infrastructure paralysis is evident in the <a href=\"https:\/\/infrastructurereportcard.org\/\">2025 Infrastructure Report Card<\/a> of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which gave a D or D+ grade to nine of its 18 infrastructure categories. It is further evidenced by the fact that the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated $7.5 billion to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging stations; three years later, only a few dozen charging stations had been built. Another $42.5 billion was allocated by the same 2021 act to expand broadband coverage to \u201cunserved\u201d areas; three years later, no services had been provided.<\/p>\n<p>For further information, or to speak with Philip Howard, contact Henry Miller at 917-921-8034 or <a href=\"mailto:hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com\">hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Common Good<\/em><\/strong><em> (<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.commongood.org\"><em>www.commongood.org<\/em><\/a><em>) is a nonpartisan reform coalition that believes individual responsibility, not rote bureaucracy, must be the organizing principle of government. It presents proposals to radically simplify government and restore the ability of officials and citizens alike to use common sense in daily decisions. <\/em><em>The Founder and Chair of Common Good is Philip K. Howard, a lawyer and author of seven books, including most recently <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.philipkhoward.com\/everyday-freedom\"><em>Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society<\/em><\/a><em> (Rodin Books, 2024).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/informedinfrastructure.com\/100787\/end-infrastructure-paralysis-philip-k-howard-calls-for-new-framework-to-modernize-u-s-infrastructure\/\">End Infrastructure Paralysis: Philip K. Howard Calls for New Framework to Modernize U.S. Infrastructure<\/a> first appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/informedinfrastructure.com\">Informed Infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York, NY\u00a0\u2013 At the start of Infrastructure Week, Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5576"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5577,"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5576\/revisions\/5577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}