United for Infrastructure 2020, formerly known as Infrastructure Week, starts as a virtual event on September 14, with speakers addressing how the US can #RebuildBetter

• United for Infrastructure 2020 (formerly known as Infrastructure Week) will take place virtually this year September 14-21.
• The theme of this year's event is #RebuildBetter.
• Speakers include major city governors, US Chamber of Commerce officials, and other leaders in the space discussing the essential role of roads, water systems, airports, broadband, and other infrastructure in people's daily lives.
• Zach Schafer, executive director and CEO of United for Infrastructure, told Business Insider that the event will particularly cover the impact of COVID-19, inequality in infrastructure, and climate change.

The COVID-19 crisis has changed how we live, work, and learn in many ways, in turn adding new stresses and placing new demands on the country's infrastructure. This year's United for Infrastructure event (formerly known as Infrastructure Week) taking place September 14-21, is bringing together government officials, community organizers, business leaders, and other stakeholders to discuss these issues and create solutions to keep America's infrastructure going strong for future generations.

The annual event is hosted by United for Infrastructure, a nonprofit that advocates and educates policymakers and the public about the value of infrastructure. The week convenes a variety of experts to discuss the essential role of roads, water systems, airports, broadband, and other infrastructure in citizens' daily lives, the economy, public health, and national security.

This year's theme is #RebuildBetter, and sessions will examine how the nation's infrastructure intersects with the many issues affecting society today, Zach Schafer, executive director and CEO of United for Infrastructure, told Business Insider.

"When we look at the COVID-19 pandemic from a public health lens and from an economic lens, when we look at issues around systemic racism and inequality that are very much in the news right now, when we look at issues around climate change and hurricanes and wildfires and extreme events — all of those impact infrastructure, and infrastructure impacts our ability to respond and adapt to those things," he said. "What do we need to do to build infrastructure moving forward that helps us meet the needs of the future?"

The 2020 Infrastructure Week will look a little different than in previous years. Like most conferences these days, the event is all virtual, though Schafer said virtual aspects have been incorporated in the past. Sessions will focus on broader, national issues, where past events were more localized. Last year's conference featured more than 150 events across the country with more than 500 affiliate organizations.

Topics to include impact of COVID-19, equity in infrastructure, and investment

This year's featured sessions include the "#RebuildBetter the United for Infrastructure 2020 Kickoff Event" on Monday, September 14, featuring Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, US Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue, and others. "They'll be broadly talking about infrastructure in the era of COVID-19," Schafer said.

"Infrastructure, Race, and Equity" on Wednesday, September 16, will feature Rick Wade, vice president of strategic alliances and outreach at the US Chamber of Commerce, Katrina Badger of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy and Equitable Communities program, and several others to highlight how communities can use infrastructure to fight inequity and inequality.

On Friday, September 18, "Future Proofing America's Infrastructure for a Changing World" will together Majority Whip James Clyburn, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, and many others to discuss the policy changes and investment needed to ensure the country's infrastructure is ready for the next 50 years.

Other Infrastructure Week events include the American Society of Civil Engineers Virtual Technical Conference 2020, "Future Cities: Government's Inside Track to 2020: Infrastructure" presented by Route Fifty, "Envisioning the Opportunity of Freeway Caps and Stitches: Atlanta, Austin, and St. Paul" by the Urban Land Institute, and "Infrastructure During a Pandemic" hosted by Washington Post Live and Siemens. Check out the full calendar of events.

Stakeholders and regular citizens have often attended Infrastructure Week, which Schafer said is important, as everyone is affected by issues like traffic, broadband access, or utility problems and should be concerned about infrastructure.

"Infrastructure is the most important thing in your daily life that you probably don't spend that much time thinking about until it doesn't work, and so much of our infrastructure is always on the verge of not working," he said. "It takes incredible investment, incredible planning, and good policy to make sure that people have the best life that they can live."

Schafer hopes this year's Infrastructure Week attendees gain a better understanding of the new stresses the nation's infrastructure is experiencing because of the pandemic, as well as the funding needed to address the issues. For example, transportation patterns have changed as more people work remotely but rely more on having items delivered to their homes.

That the systemic inequality and racism in the country has an infrastructure component is another important lesson of this year's event, Schafer said. Historically, infrastructure has been used as a tool to divide communities and promote inequality, such as through transit systems and access to broadband and clean water.

What's most exciting about Infrastructure Week, Schafer said, is that it will hopefully spark new conversations about how infrastructure can confront the past while addressing the new challenges ahead.

"I'm really excited about the overall conversation of how infrastructure can be used as a tool to meet the challenges or the needs of everyday people in their communities as those needs change," he said. "Whether it's as our work patterns change, as we think about making sure that everyone has access to jobs, broadband, learning opportunities, healthcare, and when it comes to particularly meeting the challenge of climate change. Those are real passions of mine."