Among the reasons I've promoted flexible forms of physical infrastructure, is that ownership patterns for more permanent and capital intensive infrastructure, are in a state of flux which may take decades before the dust begins to settle - alas, literally and figuratively. Clearly, the process could profoundly affect societal expectations for overall economic conditions, as well. While some may scoff at the idea of physical infrastructure which local groups could simply pick up and take with them at will to get things done, the adaptability of these movable parts could prove priceless in the short run, for institutions that are able to embrace life on such terms.
Indeed, it can be overwhelming to contemplate, just how many aspects of basic physical infrastructure, now lack fiscal revenue reliability from either governments (or other institutions) which once seemed prepared to "guarantee" long term maintenance and sustainability. The nature of highway networks here in the U.S. is just one example, how our economic expectations became augmented and to some extent taken for granted, since the latter half of the twentieth century.
Let's step back in time for a moment, to consider how the dynamism of tradable sector activity, made so much of these earlier infrastructure upgrades possible. During periods when the general equilibrium circumstance (of today's developed economies) began to take recognizable form, it was difficult to ascertain how capital intensive long term maintenance obligations would eventually prove difficult to uphold - in part due to rising labour costs. Nevertheless: Paradoxically, the rising wages of long term tradable sector dominance, made it feasible for majorities of citizens to take part in the taxpayer obligations which funded so much national infrastructure in the first place.
It's when nations experience periods of rapidly rising wages (especially as tradable sector activity remains dominant), that their ability to define and create capital intensive infrastructure is at its greatest potential. Plus, capital intensive decisions during periods of tradable sector dominance, give additional impetus to general equilibrium possibilities at a national level. On the other hand; for developed nations which have become obliged to subsidize non tradable sectors as dependent organizational capacity, there may be little left over, to offer continued support of permanent physical infrastructure which is already in place.
Once non tradable sector activity (inevitably) begins to dominate any long term economic cycle, it becomes more important for societies to designate ownership patterns for physical infrastructure, which directly include the individuals who are close to the spaces and time frames such patterns represent. Otherwise, too many individuals would lose the forms of economic access which make for a normal life. In the meantime, many citizens in developed nations have become less supportive of infrastructure which they aren't likely to personally utilize, and this societal reluctance could make quite a difference, for the ways our physical and economic landscapes take shape in the foreseeable future.
Now is the time to begin building more flexible forms of physical infrastructure, which are geared towards solution sets and ownership patterns that reflect the resource capacity of local groups who rely on them. Adaptability also means the ability for everyone to experiment, so as to discover how the use of knowledge can reconfigure more effective means of services generation. And just as strong and lightweight building components might physically define such living/working spaces, these components could also transform what are excessive burdens for electrical and plumbing requirements. In particular, future transportation needs to involve a lot less cement, and a lot more alternative means for moving people and things from place to place.
Early stages of defined equilibrium settings would first need to stabilize the steady state nature of knowledge building through time arbitrage, with its somewhat limited wage structure, before branching out into broader ownership patterns which could (once again) provide more diversified infrastructure options. At the very least, in the here and now, the more that nations are willing to give their citizens a chance to create knowledge centered wealth at local levels, the more fiscal revenue may remain available to maintain the transportation networks of the 20th century. It means a lot presently, to be able to keep moving ahead one step at a time.
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