Infrastructure

Infrastructure is the collective term for the fixed installations and systems that must be in place for a society to function. Roads and railways, water and wastewater, electricity, district heating, mobile and broadband networks, schools, hospitals and parks are all infrastructure. What they have in common is that they are collective goods with a long service life, and they are hard to build after the fact.

Infrastructure is usually divided into four categories:

• Physical infrastructure: roads, railways, ports, airports, water and wastewater, district heating, the electricity grid.
• Social infrastructure: schools, kindergartens, hospitals, sports facilities, parks and other meeting places.
• Digital infrastructure: telecoms and data networks, mobile networks, fibre, data centres.
• Organisational infrastructure: public administration, the justice system, financial and health systems.

Responsibility is shared between the levels of government. Statens vegvesen operates the national roads, Nye Veier builds larger trunk road sections, the county authority holds the county roads, and the municipality holds the municipal roads. Bane NOR operates the railway network, Statnett operates the transmission grid, and local grid companies operate the regional and distribution grids under licence from NVE. Water and wastewater is municipal, while digital services and mobile networks are private, supervised by Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet.

In property development, physical and social infrastructure in particular govern what a site can be used for. Access to roads, water, wastewater, electricity and public transport decides whether a development is technically and financially feasible. The municipality often sets rekkefølgebestemmelser (sequencing requirements) in the reguleringsplan (zoning plan) stating that certain infrastructure must be in place before new homes or commercial buildings can be occupied, and the funding is shared between the municipality and the developer through utbyggingsavtaler (development agreements). Infrastructure buildings such as transformer stations, treatment plants and pumping stations are the physical manifestations of this infrastructure, and can be both a quality (capacity for development) and a constraint (safety zones, noise, odour).

In Placepoint, infrastructure appears as transport, energy and infrastructure map layers on top of the map, so that both existing and planned installations are visible early in an analysis.

How the dataset appears on the map

The dataset is part of the map layer Buildings as Developer activity:

From Placepoint's dictionary: Infrastructure

More information: Store norske leksikon: infrastruktur, Regjeringen: Nasjonal transportplan

English: Infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions

What is infrastructure in property development?

Infrastructure is the basic technical systems that make an area habitable and functional: water and wastewater, electricity, roads, telecoms and digital infrastructure. It is a precondition for all development.

Who is responsible for infrastructure in Norway?

Responsibility is shared between the state, the county authority and the municipality, depending on the type. The municipality is responsible for municipal roads and water and wastewater networks, Statens vegvesen for national roads, and Statnett for the central grid.

What do infrastructure costs mean for a development project?

Infrastructure costs can make up a large share of total costs. Through rekkefølgebestemmelser and utbyggingsavtaler, the municipality can require the developer to fund infrastructure that the project needs.

What is technical infrastructure in a zoning plan?

Technical infrastructure includes water, wastewater, surface water, electricity, gas, telecoms and waste collection. A reguleringsplan usually states which infrastructure measures are sequencing requirements for development.

Can I see infrastructure in Placepoint?

Yes, Placepoint shows infrastructure data as map layers, including road networks, grid installations and public transport infrastructure. That gives developers a quick overview of existing and planned infrastructure in an area.