Rural Infrastructure: How Much? How Good?

Many rural areas, like their urban counterparts, face problems with their local infrastructure (public services and facilities). The challenge for rural areas, though, is different—that of building and financing new bridges, roads, waterworks, and the like rather than repairing deteriorating facilities. Such problems are especially acute during periods of high population growth because of the additional demands placed on the system. This article describes the findings of a recent survey of rural facilities in order to: -- Give a national quantitative perspective to a problem that had previously been defined only by local anecdotal evidence. -- Establish a benchmark level of public services and facilities against which future progress can be charted.