NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency as well as by the George and Cynthia Mitchell Endowment for Sustainability Sciences. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-70071-9
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-70071-X
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26905

This publication is available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and National Academies Press and the graphical logos for each are all trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Enhancing Urban Sustainability Infrastructure: Mathematical Approaches for Optimizing Investments: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26905.

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.

Rapid Expert Consultations published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are authored by subject-matter experts on narrowly focused topics that can be supported by a body of evidence. The discussions contained in rapid expert consultations are considered those of the authors and do not contain policy recommendations. Rapid expert consultations are reviewed by the institution before release.

For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.

PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR A WORKSHOP ON ENHANCING URBAN SUSTAINABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE: MATHEMATICAL APPROACHES FOR OPTIMIZING INVESTMENTS

JEANNE HOLM (Chair), City of Los Angeles

JOHN R. BIRGE, NAE, University of Chicago

LEAH BROOKS, The George Washington University

JARED L. COHON, NAE, Carnegie Mellon University

KATHERINE BENNETT ENSOR, Rice University

SAMUEL LABI, Purdue University

KRISTIN LAUTER, Meta AI Research

ROBERT J. LEMPERT, RAND Corporation

SUE McNEIL, University of Delaware

MONICA SANDERS, The Undivide Project and Georgetown University

KAREN C. SETO, NAS, Yale University

SARAH SLAUGHTER, NAE, Built Environment Coalition

BARBARA BROWN WILSON, University of Virginia

Staff

BRITTANY SEGUNDO, Workshop Director

PEYTON GIBSON, Associate Program Officer (until August 2021)

NEERAJ GORKHALY, Associate Program Officer

AMISHA JINANDRA, Associate Program Officer

SAMANTHA KORETSKY, Research Assistant

JEB NUTT, College Student Intern

CAMERON OSKVIG, Director, Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment

MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director, Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics

HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Senior Finance Business Partner

BOARD ON MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AND ANALYTICS

MARK L. GREEN (Chair), University of California, Los Angeles

HÉLÈNE BARCELO, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute

BONNIE BERGER, NAS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

RUSSEL E. CAFLISCH, NAS, New York University

DAVID S. CHU, Institute for Defense Analyses

DUANE COOPER, Morehouse College

JAMES H. CURRY, University of Colorado Boulder

RONALD D. FRICKER, JR., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

LYDIA E. KAVRAKI, NAM, Rice University

TAMARA G. KOLDA, NAE, MathSci.ai

PETROS KOUMOUTSAKOS, NAE, Harvard University

RACHEL KUSKE, Georgia Institute of Technology

YANN A. LeCUN, NAS/NAE, New York University

JILL C. PIPHER, Brown University

YORAM SINGER, WorldQuant

TATIANA TORO, University of Washington

LANCE A. WALLER, Emory University

AMIE WILKINSON, University of Chicago

KAREN WILLCOX, NAE, The University of Texas at Austin

Staff

MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director

BRITTANY SEGUNDO, Program Officer

SAMANTHA KORETSKY, Research Assistant

JOSEPH PALMER, Senior Program Assistant

HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Senior Finance Business Partner

BOARD ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE CONSTRUCTED ENVIRONMENT

THOMAS P. BOSTICK (Chair), NAE, Bostick Global Strategies

BURCU AKINCI, Carnegie Mellon University

STEPHEN AYERS, Ayers Group

BURCIN BECERIK-GERBER, University of Southern California

LEAH BROOKS, The George Washington University

JACK DEMPSEY, Definitive Logic

LEONARDO DUENAS-OSORIO, Rice University

SANJIV GOKHALE, Vanderbilt University

W. DAVID GOODYEAR, NAE, Independent Consultant

DAVID J. HAUN, Haun Consulting

CHRISTOPHER J. MOSSEY, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

ANDREW PERSILY, National Institute of Standards and Technology

CHRIS D. POLAND, NAE, Chris D. Poland Consulting Engineer

JAMES RISPOLI, North Carolina State University

DOROTHY ROBYN, Boston University

SHARON L. WOOD, NAE, The University of Texas at Austin

Staff

CAMERON OSKVIG, Director

JIM MYSKA, Senior Program Officer

BRITTANY SEGUNDO, Program Officer

JAYDA WADE, Research Associate

JOSEPH PALMER, Senior Program Assistant

RADAKA LIGHTFOOT, Finance Business Partner

Reviewers

This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by SUSAN HANSON, Clark University, and KATIRIA ORTIZ, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteur and the National Academies.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

I.1 Opening Remarks: Challenges and Concerns of a Mayoral Office

I.2 Organization of This Workshop Proceedings

1 LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE DECISION MAKING

1.1 Balancing Options in Decision Making

1.2 Managing Uncertainty in Local Decision Making

2 RELEVANT DATA, ANALYTICS, AND METRICS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY

2.1 Data to Action: Using Data to Support Resilience and Sustainability in the City of Houston

2.2 Relevant Community Data for Infrastructure and Sustainability

2.3 Influence of Community Infrastructure on Sustainability and Resilience Outcomes

2.4 Better Data and Measurement for Local Decisions in Times of Crisis

2.5 Metrics and Measures of Performance

2.6 Considerations in Measuring the Benefits of Infrastructure Services

2.7 Discussion

3 FUNDING AND INVESTMENT MECHANISMS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

3.1 Modeling and Analytical Tools for Energy Justice

3.2 Role and Limitations of Benefit-Cost Analysis

3.3 Infrastructure Investment and Decision Making

3.4 Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority’s Approach to Data-Driven Infrastructure Investment

3.5 Funding and Investment in Practice

3.6 A Unique Approach to Future-Ready Infrastructure Investment

3.7 Discussion

4 DECISION MAKING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

4.1 Decarbonizing Infrastructure Requires Systems Thinking and Systems Modeling

4.2 Flexible Planning and Design: A Win-Win Approach to Decision Making Under Uncertainty

4.3 Unintended Consequences of Data Collection and Use

4.4 Optimization in Problem Solving

4.5 Multi-Objective Decision Making

4.6 Cooperative and Adaptive Infrastructure Investment Pathways for Urban Water Supplies

4.7 Multi-Objective Optimization: The Plight of Cities

4.8 Coordinated Markets for Sustainability

4.9 A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Bridging the Gap Between Optimization and Action Through Visualization

4.10 Reducing L.A. Metro’s Infrastructure Investment Risks

4.11 Bridging the Gap Between Optimization and Action

4.12 Discussion

5 BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN DATA AND INSTITUTIONS

5.1 Drivers of Data and Analytics Use Within (Smart) Cities

5.2 Strategies to Support Effective Decision Making

5.3 Creating a Community of Practice for Data Collection

5.4 Building Confidence in Data with Stakeholders in Transportation Asset Management

5.5 Discussion

5.6 Justice40’s Participatory Tech and Data

6 SOCIAL, PHYSICAL, AND DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY

6.1 Social Infrastructure for Reducing Violence

6.2 Changing the Physical Infrastructure of Hot Spots of Violence: Experiments in Community Partnerships

6.3 Using Operations Research to Increase Access to Housing for Homeless Youth

6.4 Discussion

7 MOVING BEYOND SHORT-TERMISM

7.1 Moving Beyond Short-Termism in the City of New Orleans

7.2 How Innovation Enables Program Sustainability

7.3 Discussion

8 BUILDING THE IDEAL SUSTAINABLE CITY

8.1 An Urban History Lesson for the Sustainable City

8.2 Climate Impacts on Sustainability Planning

8.3 Road Trip: Sustainable Infrastructure

8.4 Discussion

9 WORKSHOP THEMES AND THE PATH FORWARD

9.1 Workshop Themes

9.2 The Path Forward

APPENDIXES

A Key Resources for Decision Makers

B Workshop Agenda

C Biographical Information for Workshop Planning Committee Members and Speakers