E-Binder Published April 16, 2020 · 2 minute read
Responding to the Crisis: What Does Infrastructure Look Like During the COVID-19 Recovery?
Jared DeWese & Farah Benahmed
Congress is back this week with a fourth recovery package that provides dire assistance to small businesses, and hospitals, including expanded COVID-19 testing. While this is the right thing to do, our country will need a lot more to make it through this crisis. The COVID-19 crisis will certainly require multiple rounds of recovery, and an area that should be considered is investing in our nation’s infrastructure. A large federal investment in infrastructure can allow the US to rescue and create jobs as well as prepare the US for future shocks caused and exacerbated by climate change.
Miro Korenha of Our Daily Planet moderated a panel last week to brainstorm with experts on what infrastructure investment could look like during the COVID-19 recovery and how to ensure that it simultaneously addresses climate. She was joined by Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for America, Carol C. Menassa of the University of Michigan, and Alexander Laska, Policy Advisor for the Climate and Energy Program at Third Way. Check out some of the highlights from this conversation below.
Join us for our next panel at 12:30 p.m. on April 30, when Miro will host another set of experts to explore the role and impacts of Labor, Clean Energy, and the American Worker during the COVID-19 recovery. Register here.
Carol C. Menassa, Associate Professor and John L. Tishman CM Faculty Scholar for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan
Carol C. Menassa on how investing in infrastructure can help stimulate the economy, create jobs, and strengthen communities.
Alexander Laska, Policy Advisor for Climate and Energy, Third Way Alexander Laska on how the US can rebuild it's infrastructure so that it is relevant for the future and serves the needs of all Americans.
Beth Osborne on how investing in infrastructure provides an opportunity to design our communities so that they are more fair, equitable, and increase accessibility.
