Soft and Hard Infrasctucture

On the first day of the constitutional convention Edmund Randolph explained that the purpose of the new constitutional system was, first, to secure against external invasion and, second, to secure against internal insurrection. The third was to provide mutually beneficial services, which means infrastructure. 

There are two general types.

- Hard Infrastructure: 

Hard infrastructure, also known as tangible or built infrastructure, is the physical infrastructure of roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, ports, and harbors, among others, as opposed to the soft infrastructure or "intangible infrastructure of human capital in the form of education, research, health and social services and "institutional infrastructure" in the form of legal, economic and social systems.

This article delineates both the capital goods, or fixed assets, and the control systems, software required to operate, manage and monitor the systems, as well as any accessory buildings, plants, or vehicles that are an essential part of the system. Also included are fleets of vehicles operating according to schedules such as public transit buses and garbage collection, as well as basic energy or communications facilities that are not usually part of a physical network, such as oil refineries, radio, and television broadcasting facilities.

- Soft Infrastructure: 

Soft infrastructure is all the services that are required to maintain the economic, health, cultural and social standards of a population, as opposed to the hard infrastructure, which is the physical infrastructure of roads, bridges etc. It includes both physical assets such as highly specialised buildings and equipment, as well as non-physical assets, such as communication, the body of rules and regulations governing the various systems, the financing of these systems, the systems and organisations by which professionals are trained, advance in their careers by acquiring experience, and are disciplined if required by professional associations. It includes institutions such as the financial and economic systems, the education system, the health care system, the system of government, and law enforcement, and emergency services.

The essence of soft infrastructure is the delivery of specialized services to people. Unlike much of the service sector of the economy, the delivery of those services depends on highly developed systems and large specialized facilities, fleets of specialized vehicles or institutions.

From Vox: 40 maps that explain the internet

The internet is the term used to describe the infrastructure that has been built up to allow us to do what we're doing right now.

It took some time to evolve. 

Here is a useful walk-through that process.

- Click here for the article.

This is what it looked like in 1969: 

What is a Public Utility? What is Infrastructure? What is a Public Service?

Wikipedia: What is a Public Utility? 

A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to statewide government monopolies.

Public utilities are meant to supply goods and services that are considered essential; water, gas, electricity, telephone, waste disposal, and other communication systems represent much of the public utility market.


Wikipedia: What is Infrastructure?

"installations that form the basis for any operation or system"

A way to embody personal infrastructure is to think of it in terms of human capital.

Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area,[1] and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function.[2] Infrastructure is composed of public and private physical structures such as roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, and telecommunications (including Internet connectivity and broadband access). In general, infrastructure has been defined as "the physical components of interrelated systems providing commodities and services essential to enable, sustain, or enhance societal living conditions" and maintain the surrounding environment.

One way to describe different types of infrastructure is to classify them as two distinct kinds: hard infrastructure and soft infrastructure.[4] Hard infrastructure is the physical networks necessary for the functioning of a modern industrial society or industry.[5] This includes roads, bridges, and railways. Soft infrastructure is all the institutions that maintain the economic, health, social, environmental, and cultural standards of a country.[5] This includes educational programs, official statistics, parks and recreational facilities, law enforcement agencies, and emergency services.


Wikipedia: What is a Public Service?

A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community.[1][2] Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies or via public financing to private businesses or voluntary organizations (or even as provided by family households, though terminology may differ depending on context). Other public services are undertaken on behalf of a government's residents or in the interest of its citizens. The term is associated with a social consensus (usually expressed through democratic elections) that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income, physical ability or mental acuity. Examples of such services include the fire brigade, police, air force, and paramedics (see also public service broadcasting).

Even where public services are neither publicly provided nor publicly financed, they are usually subject to regulation going beyond that applying to most economic sectors for social and political reasons. Public policy,[3] when made in the public's interest and with its motivations, is a type of public service.

From Governing: The Best Way to Do Infrastructure Projects

This is an opinion offered by a man affiliated with the Illinois Economic Policy Institute. It supports the use of "project labor agreements" when awarding bids on construction projects. They argue these agreements are beneficial, though at least two interest groups used the courts to stop them. 

Think of this when we look at the street level bureaucracy and the tendency to occasionally farms these out to private organizations.

- Click here for the article. 

Before the ink was even dry on President Joe Biden’s executive order on the use of project labor agreements for large federally funded infrastructure projects, some interest groups started crying foul and filing lawsuits.

While courts will ultimately adjudicate the legal merits of these claims, the bigger and more important question is what real-world data tells us about project labor agreements. How do PLAs impact projects out in the country, their workers and the construction industry as a whole? New research suggests that they have a positive effect, bringing more cost-saving efficiencies to projects for businesses and the taxpayers who foot the bills while strengthening and diversifying our infrastructure workforce.

PLAs, often regarded as “de-risking” mechanisms, function as construction management tools. They are pre-hire agreements between construction companies and labor organizations that establish the terms of employment, coordinate workflow among different crafts, promote investment in apprenticeship programs that train next-generation construction workers, and ban strikes, lockouts and other costly labor disruptions.

They’ve been in use since at least the 1930s, including on the Grand Coulee Dam project in Washington state. The Tennessee Valley Authority has used a master PLA since 1991. Today, PLAs are employed on many large projects, including NFL stadiums. Yet there is a lot of mythology out there about PLAs, largely due to the dearth of comparative research that can isolate their impact on specific project outcomes.

It is for this reason that a recent study conducted by our organization, the nonpartisan Illinois Economic Policy Institute, along with the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is especially timely and instructive.

. . . The results were telling. PLA-covered projects had an average of 16 percent more bidders than non-PLA projects and were more likely to be awarded at a cost below the original project engineering estimate. Moreover, projects covered by PLAs employed more apprentices training for construction careers, particularly from the historically underrepresented demographics of women and people of color that the industry sees as critical to meeting its long-term workforce-supply goals.

. . .

Wikipedia: Project Labor Agreements.

A Project Labor Agreement (PLA), also known as a Community Workforce Agreement, is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor unions that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project. Before any workers are hired on the project, construction unions have bargaining rights to determine the wage rates and benefits of all employees working on the particular project and to agree to the provisions of the agreement. The terms of the agreement apply to all contractors and subcontractors who successfully bid on the project, and supersedes any existing collective bargaining agreements. PLAs are used on both public and private projects, and their specific provisions may be tailored by the signatory parties to meet the needs of a particular project. The agreement may include provisions to prevent any strikes, lockouts, or other work stoppages for the length of the project. PLAs typically require that employees hired for the project are referred through union hiring halls, that nonunion workers pay union dues for the length of the project, and that the contractor follow union rules on pensions, work conditions and dispute resolution.

PLAs are authorized under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 151–169. Sections 8(e) and (f) of the NLRA, 29 U.S.C. §§ 158(e) and (f) make special exceptions from other requirements of the NLRA in order to permit employers to enter into pre-hire agreements with labor unions in the construction industry.

From PISD: Board of Trustees Call May 4 Bond Election

For our look at local sources of revenue.

- Click here for the notice. 

The Pearland Independent School District Board of Trustees called for a May 4 bond election to address infrastructure and district-wide technology needs.

After considering recommendations from the Bond Advisory Committee comprised of community members, business leaders, and parents, trustees called for a $30 million technology and a $75 million infrastructure bond election during their February 13 regular meeting.

Determining the need for technology and facility infrastructure bonds within Pearland ISD was comprehensive and rooted in careful analysis and planning.

The district started by thoroughly assessing its current technology and infrastructure assets. This involved evaluating the condition of existing facilities, finding any shortcomings or areas needing improvement, and checking if the technology resources were enough to support modern educational needs. After gathering assessment data, analyzing it, and taking input from stakeholders and consulting experts, the district formulated a detailed long-term plan for facilities and technology. These plans laid out strategic goals, priorities, and recommendations to address identified needs and ensure that facilities and technology infrastructure align with educational objectives.

The bond package, which seeks to address facility issues identified as top priorities by the committee, includes. . .

Infrastructure Proposition

Electrical: district-wide upgrades to lighting for cost efficiency and added security, including replacement of old lamps for LED indoor and outdoor and addition/replacement of deteriorated light poles; wiring and extension of circuits of existing generators at multiple locations; and replacement of aging electrical components.

HVAC: Replacement and rebuild of HVAC deteriorated system/components, including chiller, boiler, heating and domestic boilers, air handler, and more, at several campuses, district stadium, and Transportation East facility, as well as district-wide replacement of pipe insulation.

Plumbing: Replacement of aging roofing components, including roof drain “cow tongues” (Turner/PJH South), water lines (PJH West), and drainage improvements (Carleston drive).

Roofing: Replacement of existing roofs at PJH East, Rogers, Jamison, East Transportation, PACE Center, Shadycrest, Old ESC, PJH West, and Athletic buildings at PHS.

Life Safety: Upgrades to existing fire alarm systems at PACE Center, Rogers, Challenger, Rustic Oak, Silverlake, CJ Harris, PJH West Weight Room, East Transportation, PHS (Searcy) and Dawson (partial), elevator rebuilds at PHS, district stadium, Turner (2) and PJH South, district-wide fire sprinkler upgrades, campus handheld radio replacement and first responder radio coverage testing equipment.

Parking and Traffic: Parking lot replacement (Carleston and ESC), additional parking (Challenger) and re-painting of fire lanes (district-wide)

Interior Scope: Interior painting, sound system upgrades, Clock System upgrades, gym ceilings and floor refinish/repair, carpet replacement and slab repair/leveling.

Technology Proposition

The technology bond's total amount covers five years of expenses, which includes replacing teacher and student computers on a one-to-one basis, upgrading classroom technology, and investing in staff, teachers, and shared computers, labs, servers, storage, networking, and a data center.

If the proposed technology and infrastructure bonds are approved, most of the planned expenses for technology and infrastructure will be covered until 2032, allowing capital funds to become available for addressing transportation, program, and other operational needs.

If either or both bond propositions pass, the tax rates will stay consistent at the approved rate of $1.1373, which was established during the fall of 2023 through the passage of Pearland ISD’s Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE). This stability is facilitated by Pearland ISD’s current capacity within the Interest and Sinking budget (I&S), which will cover the bond projects, alleviating the need for adjustments to the operating or Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budget.

A standout among local and state school districts, Pearland ISD has a history of excellence and innovation in fiscal management, having earned state recognition for its cost-effective operations, paired with high academic achievement and overall student success. According to Niche, the district was recently ranked No. 4 in the Houston area out of 53 and No. 30 out of 1,052 school districts in Texas.

“If the technology and facility infrastructure bonds passed, Pearland ISD would maximize available funding without increasing taxes, allowing us to enhance our educational resources and facilities and support creating a sustainable and strong financial future,” Superintendent Larry Berger said.

To vote in the May 4 election, individuals must be registered Brazoria County voters living in Pearland ISD before April 4. A list of polling places will be available closer to the election date.

For information about registering to vote and voting locations, please visit www.votetexas.gov.

If you have questions about the May 4 bond election, visit www.pearlandisd.org/bond or contact Pearland ISD at 281-485-3203.

Why the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapsed

Following the collapse, the Washington state government 

- Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Failure of the Bridge. A Reprint of Original Reports.

The Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge collapsed on November 7, 1940. Immediately after this catastrophe several Boards of Engineers were appointed by the different agencies connected with the financing and construction of the bridge to report on the causes of failure, amount of damage, and cost of dismantling and rebuilding. These Boards made their reports to the agencies by which they were retained. The Advisory Board on the Investigation of Suspension Bridges obtained additional copies of these reports and arranged to supply technical libraries with assembled and corrected copies.


- The FWA ("Carmody") Investigation Board.

The State of Washington and the United States government both appointed boards of experts to investigate the collapse of the Narrows Bridge. The insurance companies established a "Narrows Bridge Loss Committee."

The Federal Works Administration appointed a 3-member panel of top-ranking engineers: Othmar Amman, Dr. Theodore Von Karmen, and Glen B. Woodruff. Their report to the Administrator of the FWA, John Carmody, became known as the "Carmody Board" report.

In March 1941 the Carmody Board announced its findings. Three key points stood out: (1) The principal cause of the Narrows Bridge's failure was its "flexibility;" (2) the solid plate girder and deck acted like an airfoil, creating "drag" and "lift;" and (3) aerodynamic forces were little understood and engineers needed to test all suspension bridge designs thoroughly using models in a wind tunnel.

The Board refused to blame any one person. The entire engineering profession was responsible, said the experts.


- Twin Views of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse.

After the various studies of the collapse, a new suspension bridge was constructed at the same location . The new bridge is four lanes wide and has open grid sides instead of solid I-beams . It was opened on October 14, 1950, and has not displayed any of the interesting oscillatory properties of the first bridge