The magnitude of urban infrastructure investment and the long time frames involved in management and maintenance require a co-ordinated approach to forward planning, policy development and implementation. There are major challenges in making long term decisions on urban infrastructure and getting management structures and processes in place in the present environment where politics, economies, social and technological systems and our understanding of the physical environment are changing rapidly. Getting it right generates long term dividends. Getting it wrong involves major costs, often borne by taxpayers.
This book focuses on the finance and management of urban infrastructure. It 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 best leverage off economies of scale and scope and minimise negative externalities. 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.
Urban Infrastructure: finance and management takes a deliberately pragmatic approach to the finance and management of urban infrastructure and is written by academics and practitioners presenting both theory and practice. It is written for both students and practitioners in policy, planning, urban management, infrastructure finance and management. There has been strong use of Australian case studies throughout this book and these case studies have been placed within an international context where appropriate. Many of the lessons learnt in Australia have direct applicability to both developed and developing nations.
