The case for infrastructure, beyond shovel-ready   Elmer Ave
Before and After   An essential component of 21st century
infrastructure is that it is designed to work with the forces of
nature - the ecosystem - instead of against them. By taking a
system-based approach, it solves multiple problems at once,
often using and recycling the energy and resources of the local
ecosystem to power it.  Here's an example that can be seen right
now: Elmer Avenue in Los Angeles' Sun Valley neighborhood
(pictured above). We haven't yet settled on a common term for
this new kind of infrastructure. Call it a green street, call it
a complete street, or call it a functioning community forest,
it's more than just a quick fix. It yields multiple benefits,
including new jobs, from a single investment. To do this
required new thinking, and new co-operation between agencies,
non-profits and communities.  Elmer Avenue was once a
notoriously flood-prone street. Transforming it involved a
retrofit of the road and the adjacent public and