Aligning infrastructure investments with impact

A scorecard for multi-benefit, community-focused infrastructure in Los Angeles County.

USC Launched 2024

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Impact

With our scorecard, L.A. leaders can see which projects solve more than one infrastructure problem at a time, and prioritize funding them. That means creating parks that also capture stormwater—or cutting traffic and homelessness by building affordable housing near public transit. By guiding funds to these multi-benefit projects, our scorecard will help cities get the most out of their budgets—and do more for Angelenos.

$1.6 B in annual L.A. infrastructure funding guided by voter-approved measures

45 Community, agency, and advocacy leaders interviewed to shape the scorecard and priorities

Challenge

Too often, taxpayer dollars fund single-purpose projects, missing the chance to do more for L.A. neighborhoods—a housing development that could have included a public garden; street upgrades that could have added bike paths to protect kids and commuters. Without a clear way to identify the most efficient—and impactful—projects, plans that could achieve better outcomes for more people often get overlooked.

Our Plan

We’ve created a first-of-its-kind scorecard to help LA County leaders evaluate projects based on the benefits they’ll bring to communities—starting with projects funded by four voter-approved measures across water (Measure W), housing (Measure H), parks (Measure A), and transportation (Measure M).

See the Scorecard

To better understand how infrastructure investments perform across practitioner priorities—and support smarter planning and policy decisions—explore the Infrastructure Scorecard.

See the Scorecard

Project Goals

Collect data from experts

We interviewed 45 infrastructure practitioners in LA County to capture insights from their professional experience.

Identify key findings

We identified key challenges and opportunities in evaluating multi-benefit projects and meaningful community engagement.

Help leaders make smart investments

We developed a scorecard with practitioner-informed metrics to help identify and advance multi-benefit projects.

Approach

We paired on-the-ground insights with data analysis to understand how infrastructure projects can deliver the most impact. Now, we’ve built a scorecard that helps public agencies compare proposals side by side—making it easier to see which projects work smarter, serve multiple needs, and create lasting benefits for communities.