New Infrastructure: Civil Engineer's Role

Abstract

In 1986, ASCE adopted a position paper on the civil engineer's role in new infrastructure, which had been developed by the Land Use Committee of the Urban Planning and Development. Division. The brief position paper is expanded upon herein. The ASCE position is that civil engineers in both the private and public sectors are and should remain significant participants in the development and financing of infrastructure. To maximize their effectiveness, engineers must reach beyond their traditional technical functions and deal more closely with administrative, legal, and financial issues. Civil engineers should participate in streamlining reviews of proposed projects, planning capital improvements, preparing bases for impact fees, developing user fees and cost allocations, utilizing infrastructure management systems, identifying educational needs, and fostering better governmental relations. For most topics, this paper presents examples of involvement by civil engineers. For some topics, criteria are summarized to inform about applicable issues or possible legal challenges. The examples are drawn mainly from the high‐growth state of Florida, but the conclusions drawn have general applicability.