The untapped potential of infrastructure

Abstract

With growing urban populations, the demand for infrastructure in cities is increasing. Since traditional ways of expanding infrastructure reach their limits, its supply is becoming constrained. This challenge is particularly evident at major passenger transport hubs in urban areas. The application of flexibility – in order to make more efficient use of infrastructure – can offer a way to add to this supply without the need for major physical expansions. This raises the question: How can we tap this potential of infrastructure? This dissertation provides points for departure for developing an understanding of what flexibility is and what possibilities it brings. It gives insight into what the added value is and can be for each stakeholder, and addresses the responsibility, mandate and organizing capabilities to apply flexibility. Overall, it explores how the application of flexibility can contribute to improving societal costs and benefits of infrastructure on these hubs. This work provides the building blocks for a new – guided from a public governance perspective – approach to embedding flexibility in the design and management of urban transport hubs. It brings scholars, policymakers and practitioners from “unknown” to “known” on this topic and provides them with a framework to navigate the landscape of diverse stakeholder interests and unlock the untapped potential of infrastructure. Thereby, this research helps make infrastructure ready for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities.