For decades, regional planning agencies have navigated the complexities of interconnected issues like transportation, economic development, and environmental sustainability. They bring together diverse voices – local governments, businesses, and residents – to find solutions. When it comes to planning and implementing integrated infrastructure projects, local leadership is crucial, and regional agencies like RICH are uniquely equipped for the task. As a trusted, neutral facilitator, RICH will be the driving force behind this Strategy, ensuring local voices lead the way to a sustainable future through collaborative, integrated infrastructure projects.
MIC Will Partner with Regional Planning Agencies to Develop a Framework for Comprehensive Infrastructure Planning and Better Understand the Resource Needs of Rich Operations Based on Different Objectives. Based on the Results of the Pilot, The MIC Will Develop a Funding Proposal for Statewide Deployment.
Regional planning agencies across the state are well poised to be the center of future integrated infrastructure planning. With longstanding transportation planning processes in place that already convene a multitude of stakeholders, they have the skills and expertise necessary to deliver a “dig-once future.” By expanding their processes to incorporate water, energy, and telecommunications providers during the pilot, we will better understand what it takes to deliver integrated infrastructure solutions. We will also gain valuable understanding of how the Project Portal can be utilized as a tool to facilitate and support integrated infrastructure projects.
While growing the existing MIC Project Portal and its user base will be the short-term priority of the RICHs, MIC plans to collaborate with pilot participants to further explore other opportunities to expand their services to better support an integrated infrastructure future in Michigan. Below are ideas and areas of interest identified through the Strategy outreach participants.
Community-based asset management programs such as adopt-a-road and adopt-a-drain were identified by many outreach participants as best practices for providing citizens hands-on experience with infrastructure and teaching the importance of infrastructure maintenance programs. Thoughtfully engaging the public in asset management will be key to the success of this Strategy. RICH will play a leadership role in exploring and developing programs and outreach that help citizens engage and better understand asset management practices.
Shared services and mutual assistance offer a valuable approach for regions to optimize asset management and mitigate the impact of infrastructure failures. Significant cost savings can be achieved by pooling resources and expertise across municipalities eliminating duplication of efforts, reducing administrative costs, and facilitating faster service restoration after an infrastructure failure. Sharing specialized personnel and equipment allows smaller communities to access expertise they might not otherwise afford, leading to higherquality and more efficient service delivery.
Ensuring funding and benefits from climate action flow to Michigan’s 350 Justice40 communities’ census tracts will require preparing these communities to seek and receive state and federal funding. In partnership with the Michigan Infrastructure Office’s Technical Assistance Center (TAC) and RICH, MIC will partner with Michigan engineering firms to provide asset management services to Justice40 communities. By collecting infrastructure data and assessing the current state of the infrastructure using asset management principles and practices, these communities will be able to better plan infrastructure projects and seek state and federal funding.
A local forum where asset management professionals can grow their network and gain valuable insights into local best practices and initiatives. Holding periodic meetings and gatherings to discuss local infrastructure issues, challenges, and integrated solutions.
Regional testbeds are valuable tools for accelerating adoption of innovative infrastructure technologies by de- risking innovation, demonstrating benefits, and facilitating customization and scalability. By addressing challenges in funding, data sharing, and scalability, regional testbeds can play a significant role in achieving the full potential of innovative infrastructure solutions to address critical challenges across communities. As MIC looks to establish Michigan’s infrastructure owners as leaders in emerging technologies, we will need a place to pilot these ideas in a variety of real-Michigan scenarios to gather feedback and results that can be shared and leveraged statewide.
