Questions tagged [infrastructure]
Use this tag in reference to the structures and systems that sustain large portions of the population such as highways, bridges, the electrical power grid, etc.
43 questions
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Without government, who would build the roads?
In an Anarcho-capitalist society, where there is no government, who would build the roads?
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Do more roads lead to fewer traffic jams?
In Dutch politics, the right-ish parties are in favour of more roads, whereas the left-ish parties are against more roads. Although I'm more left-oriented, I disagree with their reasoning. They want ...
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Is there continued movement towards unification of electric power wall socket/plug standards?
As we all know, when traveling abroad we usually have to use electric power socket adapters, since there are several form factors in use in the world, and most are incompatible with each other (i.e. ...
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Why is the Gravina Island bridge held up as an example of wasteful pork-barrel spending?
The as-yet-unbuilt Gravina Island bridge would connect the Alaskan city of Ketchikan to an island that holds the city’s airport (plus a few other residents besides); the two are, currently, linked ...
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Has the UK government stated how Heathrow expansion will be financed?
The UK House of Commons is about to vote on proposed Heathrow expansion today, for which the UK government has reportedly promised No cost to taxpayers. According to an article in the Financial Times,...
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Are there any proposals for a significant electrification of US railroads?
Most of the railroads in the United States are not electrified. I can't find figures right now, but I don't think it's much. In the past decade, fuel prices have risen, Amtrak ridership has increased ...
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How do leaders cross the language barrier during phone calls?
Recently, the American president spoke on the phone with leaders from around the world. Some are from English-speaking countries, but many are not, including Vladimir Putin. For such important and ...
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What is the status of the proposed extension of passenger railroads in the US?
From a European perspective, I have the impression that in most of the USA, intercity passenger rail travel is mestly a touristic endeavour, and not used for "ordinary" intercity travel as it is in ...
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When can "civilian, including commercial, infrastructure elements in outer space" be legitimate military targets?
The following quote of the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Konstantin Vorontsov found in Fox News' October 27, 2022 Russia threatens to target Western commercial satellites like Elon Musk's ...
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Why isn't recycling counted as part of infrastructure
I hear a lot of rhetoric around "infrastructure" lately. The US Congress is debating bills that will cost trillions of USD. The elements that we usually think of are there: roads, schools, ...
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What is the difference between funds being "authorized" and funds being "appropriated" in the IIJA?
I'm currently trying to understand H.R.3684 - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) but there are a few things don't understand.
Authorization vs. Appropriation
As far as I understand, ...
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Why can't the British government pass a law allowing the Heathrow expansion to proceed, rather than bothering with an appeal to the Supreme Court?
According to a recent BBC article:
On 27 February 2020, the Court of Appeal ruled the decision to allow
the expansion was unlawful because it did not take climate commitments
into account.
...
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Why is Germany increasing its reliance on Huawei despite the security risks?
https://www.reuters.com/technology/germany-ups-reliance-huawei-5g-despite-security-fears-survey-2022-12-16/
BERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Germany has become even more dependent on
Huawei for its 5G ...
user28660
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How could Bangladesh protect itself from Indian dams and barrages?
India has built dams, barrages, and hydroelectric projects on each of the rivers that flow from India into Bangladesh.
For example, the following infographic from InDepthBD shows the damage caused by ...
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Are there political structures that are fundementally different? [closed]
If so, why haven't, or have they, been put into practice and kept from the mainstream?
By fundamental I refer to (including but not limited to):
The idea of a governing body of a state which dictates ...
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Why can't London increase the Congestion Charge to the point where congestion is reduced to reasonable levels?
According to the Wiki article about the London Congestion Charge:
In 2013, ten years after its implementation in 2003, TfL reported that the congestion charging scheme resulted in a 10% reduction ...
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Desalination in Southern California, U.S.A [closed]
California is going through a drought. However, there is a lot of water, salt water, to the west. My understanding is that Santa Catalina Island, west of Southern California, has a desalination plant ...
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Why isn't there public pressure to increase the highway speed limits given that most drivers speed on a daily basis?
When driving on a highway with speed limits (which is pretty much every road except for the Autobahn) one can notice that most drivers break the limit by at least 5-10 km/h. Where the speed limit is ...
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How people are supposed to commute from home to work and do errands under the libertarian system?
According to the libertarian ideology everything should be private, including the street that passes in front of your house. Most houses I know have access to only one street, thus most people would ...
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Why are dams so controversial in Pakistan?
Given the situation of water in Pakistan and seriousness that can be raised due to lack of water, why is the construction of dams in Pakistan so controversial? E.g., nowadays Mohmand Dam is very ...
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Is cycling or support for cycling infrastructure correlated with other political views?
I have cycled a lot in Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, and the UK, and I have also cycled in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and the USA. The quality and quantity of ...
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Why are the most densely populated areas generally underserved by government services?
As an example from Canada - it currently takes years for a person in Vancouver to get a place for their child in a government kindergarten. Likewise it can take years to find a family doctor as they'...
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What's lacking about the Kerch Strait land bridge, between Crimea and Russia?
In this video, retired US Army General and former CIA Director David Petraeus tells CNN's Jake Tapper how the Ukrainian people have aided their army in killing multiple Russian generals. CNN has not ...
user42509
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Why is Biden trying to get an omnibus infrastructure bill?
President Biden has been trying to negotiate an infrastructure plan with Senate Republicans for at least a month. He's made some significant concessions, they've increased what they're willing to ...
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Which countries provide their citizens with quick and easy ways to get current status of public projects?
Governments around the world finance many "projects" , for example infrastructure(highways, railways, etc.) or public facilities(hospitals, schools, etc.)
Once such a project is announced, ...
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Is the Heathrow expansion decision conditional upon private parties finding financing?
The UK House of Commons voted on approving Heathrow expansion, or at least, that's how it is described in the media. At closer scrutiny, however, it looks like the vote is just about a government ...
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What policies can reduce or prevent cost overruns on big infrastructure projects?
Big infrastructure projects often lead to major cost overruns. For example:
Betuweroute railway in The Netherlands, planned at 2.5 billion €, final costs 4.7 billion €
Gotthard base tunnel, estimated ...
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Why very few countries have joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure?
To my understanding, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure is an international knowledge platform and could help countries for efficient disaster management.
Why are there very few ...
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Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill (IIJA) [closed]
I'm currently trying to understand H.R.3684 - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) but there are a few things I don't understand:
The price tag:
People are referring to the bill as the $1....
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What does the U.S.A. Green New Deal propose on railway electrification? [duplicate]
What role does railroad electrification have in proposal (or various proposals) for an American Green New Deal?
In coverage of the American Green New Deal there has been much attention to electric ...
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Why would a state reject federal funding for infrastructure?
The government of Florida rejected federal funding for high-speed rail. The same is true for Ohio and Wisconsin. I can't wrap my mind around this — if someone else is paying, why reject basic ...
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In the US, are there any groups proposing unsubsidised infrastructure?
One objection that appears to be made in the U.S. against rail travel is the reliance on government-paid subsidies.
Considering that the interstate highway system costs an estimated $425 billion, and ...
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Liability cap on car accident damages on public roads [closed]
The scenario is this: a lower income person in an inexpensive automobile crashes into and totals a $200,000 Ferrari. The lower income person is at fault and doesn't have insurance and thus is ...
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How much does the U.S. give Africa for the development of infrastructure?
https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/R46368.pdf
Looking at this I found that infrastructure is categorized as "Other Economic Growth Efforts", and it seems that infrastructure is not included in the ...
user28660
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How come Jokowi Build Far More Roads than Other Previous Presidents? [closed]
Jokowi followers claim that Jokowi build many more TOL roads than previous presidents.
The roads are also build at "fair price" rather than inflated corrupt price.
Some people are discussing this. ...
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Has any of the presidential candidates ever mentioned fixing our aging infrastructure?
There's no denying, these recent historic floods we've been having in the past couple of years have only shown how our aging infrastructure needs to be fixed. No proper drainage systems, our roads are ...
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What are the 16 critical infrastructure sectors the US demands a stop to Russian cyber attacks on?
At their Geneva summit meeting, U.S. President Joe Biden handed Putin a list of 16 critical infrastructure sectors that must be "off limits" from cyber attacks.
"I talked about the ...
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Where does one connect with government departments world-over to suggest world-changing ideas?
I am aware that you can mail departments through the Whitehouse site. I am concerned with posing philanthropic ideas to political bodies.
What is the best way to reach the relevant people that can ...
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Effects of investment in infrastrucuture on rural migration?
I am not sure if this is the correct form, but when I hear or read about countries that had huge economic development in the recent past(ex: China) there is always a talk of large investment in ...
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Who were these people during the US President's press conference on infrastructure the other day?
Here is an image of them I took at the press conference on Tuesday
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What is meant when people say that "infrastructure is crumbling"?
Lots of people say that the US infrastructure is crumbling. In my area (PA) the local townships handle this, which got me wondering:
What are people referring to when they say "the infrastructure is ...
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Do the lowest population US states directly receive funding from other states?
I was told states like Montana with high infrastructure costs relative to population receive funds from states like New York. Is there a state-to-state funding system like this in place? If so, which ...
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Does the trust fund have the funds needed to cover the shortfall from a gas tax holiday?
In 1956, the federal motor fuel tax was established, along with a dedicated pool of money for the construction of an interstate highway system. Those gas tax funds go into the "Highway Trust ...
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