Inequality is 'encoded' in America's infrastructure. Government officials and leaders say we need federal action to fix it.

• During the September 16 panel "Infrastructure, Race, and Equity" at the weeklong United for Infrastructure 2020 event, government officials and leaders discussed the inequalities in America's infrastructure.
• The Santa Ana Freeway in Los Angeles, completed in the 1950s and routed through many low-income communities, is one instance where infrastructure disproportionately excludes communities of color.
• People of color are also more impacted by "water stress," or living in areas with too little, too much, or unsafe water.
• Ronnie Hakim, national transit and rail market sector leader at infrastructure design firm HNTB, said that engaging the people and communities most affected in conversations about infrastructure can help create more equitable systems.

Infrastructure has been an economic catalyst for generations. But it also has a complex history that's divided communities and contributed to the systemic racism and inequality that exists today.

During the United for Infrastructure 2020 event on September 16, "Infrastructure, Race, and Equity," officials across different sectors discussed how past infrastructure decisions have put communities of color at a disadvantage — and how stakeholders can make more equitable infrastructure decisions in the future.

"We have to confront the ways that inequality is encoded in our infrastructure if we're going to fix it and move forward," Rick Wade, vice president of strategic alliances and outreach at the US Chamber of Commerce, said during the weeklong virtual event hosted by United for Infrastructure, a nonprofit that advocates and educates the public and stakeholders about the valuable role of infrastructure.

"Gaining federal action to modernize its infrastructure will allow private sector innovation, public sector investment, and better policy planning and technology to address many of these issues," he added.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many "fault lines" in the country's infrastructure, including within the healthcare delivery system, law enforcement, and educational systems, said the longtime US Congressman and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-South Carolina).

"And that's why [more than] 190,000 people have now died [from COVID-19], and disproportionately people of color," he said. "So these fault lines have been opened up, and the question is, do we have the willingness to repair these faults?"

Looking at how infrastructure, either intentionally or unintentionally, created division and inequality can help the infrastructure leaders of today and the future create better solutions that foster opportunities for all Americans.

Giving those most affected a voice in conversations is an essential step in solving infrastructure problems

Freeway and highway projects built in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s are an example.

"These projects have divided communities, historically displaced residents, and cut them off from economic opportunity," said Kelli Bernard, executive vice president and national cities leader at engineering firm AECOM.

The Santa Ana Freeway in Los Angeles, completed in the 1950s, is one example, she said. The freeway was routed through many low-income communities of color.

"Because these communities were not included in this process and were deemed as 'slums' and blighted, they were the victims of this infrastructure in that their homes were razed," Bernard said. "They were displaced." Businesses and manufacturing hubs, meanwhile, were placed at the center of the discussion of the freeway development and able to escape harm.

Engaging the people and communities that will be most affected in the conversations about infrastructure is just one solution for creating more equitable systems, said Ronnie Hakim, national transit and rail market sector leader at infrastructure design firm HNTB. Inequality can be more easily addressed in "soft infrastructure," such as enabling access, than in "hard infrastructure," like existing roads and rail lines.

"Let all communities, minority communities, have a voice in transportation planning," she said, and focus on affordability and mobility benefits, such as helping people get to work, school, and other activities.

Marginalized communities are heavily impacted by 'water stress'

Communities of color are also disproportionately impacted by "water stress," which refers to having too much, too little, or poor quality water, said Radhika Fox, CEO of the US Water Alliance.

Having too much water means living in flood-prone areas, and too little affects those living in areas affected by drought. Pollution in waterways can contaminate and destroy water quality. "The context of inequity is Flint, Michigan, where thousands of Black children, a whole generation, have been poisoned because of mismanagement of the water system," Fox said.

"In every instance of water stress, what we know is that low-income people and communities of color are the most impacted," she said. "And that's also why we have to be really intentional about centering any solution, whether it's water, transportation, broadband, around reversing the disproportionate impact."

Better broadband will ensure all Americans have access to opportunities

Lack of access to broadband internet is another issue that the pandemic has put a spotlight on. Advocacy group BroadbandNow estimates that 42 million Americans don't have access to broadband, with rural areas and Black and Latino households most affected.

Clyburn referenced an old moniker used during the early days of the internet: "the information superhighway."

"[Broadband] is just as important as highways, roads, and bridges," he said. "So let's act like it and treat it just like we treat interstate highways."

The enhanced need, but limited access, for broadband during COVID-19 could cause educational setbacks for some students, he said, and affect health officials' ability to conduct contract tracing. Both of these issues will have a much more negative effect on Black people and other people of color.

Federal government officials are working on solutions for more equitable infrastructure

The federal government is working on solutions to address infrastructure, including H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which passed the House of Representatives in July and is now in the Senate. Sen. Clyburn supported the legislation, which includes $1.5 trillion for rebuilding infrastructure and creating jobs. It would upgrade highways, bridges, transit, rail, airports, and more and invest $100 billion to build nationwide high-speed broadband infrastructure.

Clyburn said expanding his anti-poverty 10-20-30 initiative, which allocates at least 10% of funding from federal programs to counties where 20% of the population has lived under the poverty level for at least 30 years, would help target infrastructure investment in the communities that need it most.

These policies and others are some of the ways that infrastructure leaders are hoping to learn from the past and better address the inequalities facing the country, the panelists said. And while there are several bright spots across the country, they added, there's much work still to be done.

"This is a great country," Clyburn said. "It does not have to be made great again. What we've got to do is to develop a willingness to make the greatness of this country accessible and affordable for all of its citizens. That's our challenge, and I think we've got the wherewithal in this country to adequately meet that challenge."