Infrastructure forms the foundation of a healthy community.

Investing in infrastructure is key to making communities healthier, more equitable places to live.

We all want to live in a community where everyone has access to safe drinking water, green parks, and a reliable transit system. Strong infrastructure is key to ensuring communities have access to these necessities.

But this is not everyone’s reality today. For decades, barriers like residential segregation have fueled a lack of investment and inadequate and failing infrastructure in places where Black, Latino, and Indigenous people live today. These inequities create barriers to good health.

Investing in infrastructure—the building blocks of our communities—can transform communities so they are healthier and more equitable places to live.

Water

This collection of research offers insights into how to close the gap in access to affordable and safe water.

Parks and Green Spaces

The national funding initiative People, Parks and Power and research from City Parks Alliance and the National Recreation and Parks Association are advancing equitable investment in parks and green infrastructure.

Transportation

This field scan by SmartGrowth America dives into how transportation affects health equity in America.

RWJF Library
Learn more about Health in Small and Midsize Cities

Related Perspectives

RWJF staff members share examples of infrastructure at work. 

  • Brooke Tucker, program officer
  • James Hardy, senior program officer
  • Julie Morita, executive vice president
  • Pamela Russo, senior program officer

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