Infrastructure is a means and not an end. Societies rely on infrastructure for all that they do – how they live, generate economic activity, safeguard the environment and manage risks. Infrastructure implementation represents a major financial commitment and is funded as capital investment for periods of 30 years or more. Much infrastructure is provided directly by the state or within state-managed regulatory frameworks. Spatial planning, with its emphasis on delivery, is central to the adequate provision of infrastructure that is a core component of the social, economic and environmental functioning of society.
The provision and use of infrastructure is contextualised within the objectives for any place and the plans that are made to achieve them. These objectives are primarily set by local democratic leaders and the wider community. They will be framed by the priorities that have been adopted by governments concerned with strategic infrastructure provision such as energy security and transport networks. Some strategic plans will also be made by infrastructure providers, managing their own investment and future capacity whether for water or school places. Infrastructure delivery planning brings together the sectoral demands of providers with the locality’s priorities and needs. It identifies the gaps between supply and demand and how these can be managed and mitigated within a sustainable context. This is an essential feature of the spatial planning process.
Infrastructure delivery planning requirements will vary between different spatial scales and territories. Functional economic areas (FEA) or subregions, whether urban or rural, may be focused on physical infrastructure such as transport and telecommunications and major social and community provision such as universities, theatres and hospitals.
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