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This article summarizes the panel discussion conducted by eminent civil engineers on America's infrastructure, its current status, future needs, and improvement strategies for its rebuilding. The panel opines that population growth, societal goals, and public participation are some of the things to keep in mind in our planning endeavours.

It looks like the next few years could bring a record number of public works projects to city and county government, despite the otherwise difficult economy. Many local agencies face [...]

An accessibility indicator that blunts the negative influence of geographic location in transport planning is proposed. Some peripheral locations, despite the existence of an efficient transport infrastructure, are often targeted for possible investment as they are deemed inaccessible. Thus, to better reflect ease of access, the proposed indicator substitutes the usual notion of distance with network efficiency. For being more responsive to the transport infrastructure needs of individual regions, the indicator will prove useful in aiding decisions to invest in transport networks.

Outlining 'a constrained 'rent-dissipation' theoretical framework of the property rights school, which appears ... as being better able to interpret in an economically meaningful way the political events' between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China ensuing from the inception of a new Port and Airport Development Strategy in October 1989 - involving the relocation of 'the existing Hong Kong International (Kai Tak) Airport from Kowloon to Chek Lap Kok, Lantau Island, and expanding the present Kwai Chung International Container Harbour ...' - and 'the conclusion of the financial arrangement for PADS in November 1994': Satisfying the need for a framework that allows 'a more objective evaluation ...' and avoids 'the intuitive, ad-hoc stance and normative flavor of populist conspiracy thinking.'

Public agencies engaged in the planning, design, and construction of utility infrastructure systems have developed basic administrative processes, policies, and procedures for engineering services such as production of design contract documents and handling of construction management documents. The purpose of these procedures is to minimize costs and optimize quality of the design drawings and the finished, constructed product through conformity to a system that is known to 'work well.' Despite the fact that these procedures and policies have served many agencies well over the years, the world of public works engineering and construction has become one of ever-increasing public scrutiny, necessitating improved engineering/project quality without an increase in project cost. Professional service providers have found ways to do this through a process known as 'continuous improvement.' This process provides a means by which a professional service provider can effectively generate new ways to do things faster, better, and cheaper. This paper defines the continuous improvement concept, and presents a case study of the continuous improvement planning process undertaken by the City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, Environmental Engineering Division.

BOT (build-operate-transfer) project delivery systems have provided effective routes to mobilize private sector funds, innovative technologies, management skills, and operational efficiencies for public infrastructure development. However, many countries and regions lack BOT expertise and experience. Hong Kong, one of the pioneers in optimizing private sector participation in infrastructure development, has developed five large tunnels on the BOT basis since the late 1960s, the first of which recently completed its franchise period and entered into the posttransfer operation phase. Experience and lessons gained in formulating and managing BOT projects over more than 30 years have enabled the Hong Kong government to develop a well-structured BOT framework. This proven BOT model is useful for countries and regions lacking such expertise and still in need of BOT-based infrastructure. This paper discusses key development aspects of the five BOT tunnels, including feasibility study; tender selection; legal, financial, and land issues; design and construction; operation and maintenance; transfer; and posttransfer management.