'Municipal infrastructure' typically includes
transportation,
sewer,
reservoir,
potable water supply systems,
police stations and local
jails, and other
infrastructural capital - the
built environment - under the
jurisdiction of a
municipal government or other
local government.
The terms
urban infrastructure and
rural development are often used interchangeably but imply either large cities or
developing nations' concerns respectively. The terms
public infrastructure or
critical infrastructure are also used interchangeably but suggest the inclusion of some facilities like
hospitals,
banks and concerns like
national security and
terrorism which are not under the mandate of municipal officials alone.
Reflecting increased concern with
sustainability,
urban ecology and
quality of life, efforts to move towards
sustainable municipal infrastructure are common in
developed nations, especially in
European Union and
Canada (where the
FCM InfraGuide provides an officially mandated
best practice exchange to move municipalities in this direction).