In July the National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) published the National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA), which identified and made recommendations for meeting the UK’s infrastructure needs. It suggests how the country can get the most out of the infrastructure we have and make the right choices for new infrastructure in order to ensure continued prosperity, competitiveness and wellbeing in the face of challenges such as climate change and population growth. 

Cities are a key focus of the NIC assessment and, we believe, crucial to the UK’s success. More than half the UK population live or work in cities, and with that proportion continuing to grow, pressure on infrastructure and local resources will only increase. This is why the NIC recommends cities should have devolved powers and £43bn funding on top of current spending between now and 2040, to solve the riddle of integrating effective transport, employment and housing.

The challenges of local transport, job creation and new homes should not be looked at in isolation. To create liveable communities our focus has to be wider

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