With more than USD 1.57 trillion of federal funding committed over ten years, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill provide an opportunity to close the infrastructure investment gap in the United States. Maximising the long-term benefits from this funding – from job creation to improving the quality of life to addressing geographic divides – will require scaling up the capacity for inclusive investment at all levels of government. Many OECD countries have faced similar challenges and have developed new approaches that the United States can learn from.

Policy brief:

• Inclusive Infrastructure: Scaling-up local investment in the United States

Case studies:

• Coordinating spatial planning and investment across state and local boundaries in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region
• Hachioji City — Utilising 3D city models and Augmented Reality to enhance local public engagement
• Understanding infrastructure market capacity constraints in Australia

Speakers:

Welcome

• Karen Enstrom, Chargé d’Affairs ad interim, U.S Mission to the OECD
  
• Dorothée Allain-Dupré, Head of Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division, Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD

Moderator

• Ross van Dongen, Director of Infrastructure and Intergovernmental Affairs, Accelerator for America

Panellists

• Jakob Richter, Head of Office, Hamburg Metropolitan Region, Germany
  Coordinating spatial planning and investment across state and local government boundaries
• Sachio Muto, Director Urban Policy Division City Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan
  Using digital twins to enhance local community 
• Steve Brogan, Chief of Policy & Research, Infrastructure Australia
  Assessing market capacity to deliver the infrastructure pipeline

In the face of pressing challenges such as climate change, extreme weather events and supply chain disruptions, the green transition has become imperative. Initiatives such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act demonstrate the United States’ commitment to achieving a green transition, and are expected to create approximately 17 million new jobs over the next decade. With a national share of green-task jobs standing at 12.9% (4.7 percentage points below the OECD average), skill gaps and workforce bottlenecks across local labour markets are emerging as major challenges in filling the growing number of green vacancies in the United States.

Policy brief:

• Future-proofing workforces for the green transition: International lessons for local workforce development in the U.S.

Case studies:

• Reskilling coal industry workers for the renewables energy sector (European Union)
• Providing access to quality green jobs through specialised trades training (United States)
• Battery training center (France)

Speakers:

Welcome

• Sean Patrick Maloney, Ambassador, U.S. Mission to the OECD
• Karen Maguire, Head of Division, Local Employment and Economic Development (LEED), CFE, OECD

Moderator

• Annelies Groger, Fellow, Brookings Metro

Panelists

• Nadine Guerin Roquel, Transformation Program Director, LHH/ Adecco Group, France
• Charitini Karakostaki, Erasmus + Team Leader, PROMEA - The Hellenic Society for the Promotion of Research and Development Methodologies, European Union
• Alexander Stephens, Associate Director, Research & Evaluation, Future Skills Center, Canada
• Sherry Tucker, Vice President for Communications, Community Engagement and Government Relations, CapturePoint, United States
• Maya Goodwin, Workforce Strategy Lead, U.S. Department of Energy, United States

The U.S. is gearing up to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, as well as co-hosting the Men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026. These events will bring thousands of spectators and have the opportunity to generate economic returns for the host cities. At the same time, the U.S. regularly hosts many large-scale cultural events, such as the Sundance Film Festival, Burning Man, Coachella and SXSW. But what can host cities do to capture the long-term benefits of these events? And how can cities not hosting such high-profile festivals and tournaments, still use culture, sports and business events as a leaver of economic and social development?

Policy brief:

• Leveraging culture, sports and business events for local development

Case studies:

• The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Boosting local jobs and businesses through a social charter
• South By Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals: Using global creatives to support local ecosystems
• The Guadalajara International Book Fair: A trade fair open to the public
• The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Festival: co-creating a lasting legacy

Speakers:

Welcome

• Ambassador Nina Hachigian, Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State
• Karen Maguire, Head of Division, Local Employment and Economic Development Programme, Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD

Moderator         

• Nathan Ohle, President & CEO, International Economic Development Council (IEDC)

International panel

• Marie Barsacq, Director of Impact and Heritage, Paris 2024, France
• Marisol Schulz, Director General, Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), Mexico
• Chris  Lau, International Markets Lead, West Midlands Growth Company, United Kingdom

US experiences and reactions

• Erica Shamaly, Music and Entertainment Division Manager, Economic Development Department, City of Austin, U.S.
• Christina Gay, International Economist, National Travel and Tourism Office, U.S.