Infrastructure
The Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) led by Kevin Page is focused on optimizing the value for money for citizens from infrastructure investments. Through research into global best practices and symposiums, the IFSD is developing an understanding of the infrastructure system, networks, processes, data architecture and evidence required to support key infrastructure investment decision support points.
The IFSD hosted a two day infrastructure symposium on evidence-based infrastructure investment decision making in Toronto on September 24-25, 2018. The purpose of the symposium was to bring together best-practice jurisdictions to share their successes and lessons learned, and discuss the key features of strong infrastructure planning, including:
- Strategic Planning: identifying what global best practice looks like that delivers integrated evidence based infrastructure planning (for example, long-term infrastructure plans);
- Strategic Decision-Making: identifying how global best practices have integrated evidence-based infrastructure investment decision-making into those plans (for example, prioritising infrastructure investment with strategic community outcomes);
- Evidence-Based Enablers: identifying some of the key tools and processes that deliver strategically aligned infrastructure investment plans (for example, smart city platforms, big data, analytics, and insights).