The High Cost of Underinvestment

In the latest Rebuild SoCal Zone podcast episode, host Jon Switalski spoke with Matt Newman, the Principal, and Co-Founder of Blue Sky Consulting Group, about a report titled “The High Cost of Underinvestment: Assessing the State of Infrastructure in Southern California,” Rebuild SoCal Partnership launched in January of this year. 

The episode studies the nuances of California’s infrastructure investment – or rather, the lack of it. Newman elaborates on the evident decrease in California’s infrastructure spending over the past decade and explores the socioeconomic implications of infrastructure negligence. Switalski and Newman further discuss the disproportionate effects of underinvested infrastructure on communities of color, the health consequences of underinvesting in clean water, and the demographics that benefit most from careers in infrastructure. Switalski and Newman touch on key findings from the report itself, such as transportation challenges, equity disparities, and bridge and water concerns in Southern California. 

Listeners can learn more about the following: 

• How underinvestment in infrastructure has had a negative impact on the economy
• Equity disparities posed by a lack of transportation infrastructure ● The cause of California’s increasing commute times
• The need for increased investment in infrastructure in Southern California