The United States risks losing its ability to compete globally if steps are not taken immediately to upgrade the nation's infrastructure, according to a report released Tuesday by the Washington-based Urban Land Institute (ULI). The report, "Infrastructure 2008: A Competitive Advantage," calls for the creation of a federal framework to replace the "outdated" regional planning process that has led to "a mish-mash of disconnected regional infrastructure management approaches."

"America heads for a crisis in the next 10 years if nothing is done," the report says. "However, the report also says it may take a crisis to generate the political will to close the $170 billion annual funding gap in infrastructure investment. "Infrastructure investment and development are having stronger-than-ever implications for urban growth patterns," said ULI Worldwide President Richard Rosen in a statement. "If we continue to minimize transportation infrastructure as a federal priority, we are setting our urban areas up for decline, rather than prosperity. This country simply cannot afford to keep treating infrastructure as an afterthought."

The report is available at http://www.uli.org