Infrastructure includes all the services required to make life easier and help society function. It includes social infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, places of worship and places for gathering; green infrastructure such as parks and open spaces; transport infrastructure including roads and railways; and utilities infrastructure such as power, potable and waste water.
With a changing population, existing infrastructure getting older, and increased pressures from a changing climate, it is important we keep up the pace of investment in infrastructure. In addition, new population and economic growth will need to have a full range of supporting infrastructure.
With changing technology and shifting living and working patterns, it may be the case that infrastructure becomes easier to provide.
Renewable energy and on-site energy generation may reduce the need for electricity transmission lines. 5G or 6G-enabled digital infrastructure may reduce the need for fibre in the ground. Automated vehicles may mean less space is needed on roads.
How will services be provided in the future?
- what resources will we demand more of? which may we no longer demand at all?
- how clean will our infrastructure be?
- what new infrastructure might we need? on-demand charging and energy storage could require infrastructure on a mass scale
- will our networks decentralise?
- will we pay less for our energy?