Now there is a logic to infrastructures which is neither that of the market nor that of prestigious projects, like castles in days gone by. This is the logic of public utility which consists in providing the necessary public services in appropriate conditions of availability at optimum cost to the community. This logic applies at a municipal level for public transport and other local services and at a global level for the protection of whales, lemurs, bears, parrots and other endangered species, for satellite weather forecasts and the standardization of industrial products. Currently, people of goodwill have a few years before them to prepare programmes for the next century. It is important to start work now as the design of quality infrastructures takes time both in terms of engineering and of negotiations.
Computerization allows more rapid progress to be made and more research into variants.
Once stored in memory, a project becomes a modifiable virtual universe through which one can wander in images. It becomes presentable to future users prior to actually being built. Discussions can then take place and a common consensus can be found. If we set aside the time, we do have the means to carefully study and discuss our programmes in all their ramifications and to integrate them in a more social and democratic process. The imaginary should precede the real and not follow it.