invest $49 million in that infrastructure over the next seven years, in addition to $296 million in capital improvements throughout the city, including parks, utilities, and other areas,” says Mashburn. “We currently have $17 million devoted towards road repair as well.” Mayor Escobar Jr. emphasizes the shift in the city’s approach: “We’re just getting to more of a proactive and not a reactive state. Now, we’re planning for the future, trying to make sure we have the tools needed to catch issues before they become problems.That’s the beauty of the AI that allows us to make a plan before infrastructure fails.” implementing data-driven approaches to address current needs while planning for future development. As you can imagine, with the explosive growth, it takes some time for the infrastructure to catch up. That’s why the temporary moratorium on residential buildings was key because it allowed us to take a look at the entire city,” Mashburn explains. “We’re using data to inform our decision. We recently engaged a company that uses AI and infrared to analyze every street and utility line to see what’s going to fail first.” This analysis enables Princeton to prioritize infrastructure investments strategically. “We developed a non-bond CIP fund for utilities. We’ll 126 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
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