Infrastructure is one of those things that, if it’s done really well, you don’t really have to think about it. If your city has excellent public transportation, smooth roads, walkable neighborhoods, and animal-friendly parks, life is probably pretty good.
But if you’re constantly driving through potholes, waiting 40 minutes for a bus, or walking an hour for a journey that would have taken 5 minutes by car, you’re probably also complaining about your local government at every opportunity. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. We took a trip to an online community that is dedicated to celebrating some of the best infrastructure from all over the world. So enjoy scrolling through these photos, and be sure to upvote the things that you’d like to see in your own city!
#1 Somewhere In China
Image source: straightdge
#2 Electric Elevated Railway (Suspension Railway) , Wuppertal, Germany
Image source: tanmayp63
#3 Takaosan Highway Interchange, Tokyo
Image source: biwook
When you think of infrastructure, your mind might immediately go to things like roads, bridges, and sidewalks. But according to McKinsey & Company, nowadays, it means much more. It also includes fiber-optic cables, charging stations for electric vehicles, renewable power plants, and cutting-edge digital networks.
McKinsey estimates that a whopping $106 trillion will be invested in infrastructure between now and 2040, with Asia expected to receive over half of those funds. It’s predicted that the largest amounts of money will be put towards transportation and logistics, energy and power, digital, and social infrastructure. Small amounts will be allotted for waste and water, agriculture, and defense.
#4 The Beipanjiang Bridge, Spanning The Nizhu River In China At A Height Of 565 Metres [1500×1000]
Image source: FoxFoxington
#5 Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge, China
Image source: straightdge
#6 Tram In The Suburbs Of Chengdu, China
Image source: No-Echidna7296
The infrastructure industry is not without problems, though. McKinsey reports that there are significant labor shortages and a lack of skilled workers in many regions. Apparently, in the United States, the construction industry had over 400,000 job openings for different skills in 2023 and early 2024. Meanwhile, the renewables sector needs to add approximately 2.8 million jobs over the next 3 years.
These shortages have forced countries to come up with more creative solutions and strategies, such as implementing automation, modular methods, and remote-operations technologies.
“For instance, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn has expanded digital maintenance efforts to speed up inspections, adopting AI-supported camera gates (which automate inspection in rail or transport infrastructure), robots, and measuring systems,” McKinsey explained.
#7 San Francisco Infrastructure [1080×1308]
Image source: earthmoonsun
#8 The World’s Longest Urban Boulevard, Tianfu Avenue In Chengdu, China
Image source: No-Echidna7296
#9 Roundabout Bridge In Italy
Image source: Big_Piano_3920
Investopedia explains that there are two types of infrastructure that impact our lives: hard and soft. Hard infrastructure includes things like roads, highways, bridges, and everything needed to make those accessible, such as buses, vehicles, and oil refineries. Soft infrastructure, on the other hand, refers to human capital and institutions necessary to deliver services to the population. This includes healthcare, financial institutions, government offices, law enforcement, and education.
#10 A Scene At Chongqing, China
Image source: Blvckshi63
#11 Elevated Tram At The Detroit Metropolitan Airport [oc]
Image source: TheGummiFather
#12 No One Does Train Stations Like China
Image source: [deleted]
Now, you might be wondering why infrastructure matters so much and why we should care about it. According to Brookings, it is important for several reasons. First, it is the backbone of a healthy economy. It provides millions of jobs each year and allows people to connect with their jobs, while also protecting a nation from an increasingly unpredictable natural environment. Reliable infrastructure is also crucial for connecting to supply chains and moving goods and services across borders.
#13 200-Year-Old Wooden Bridge In Dagestan (Russia), Built Without The Use Of A Single Nail
Image source: biwook
#14 Chengdu Overpass Covered With Greenery
Image source: straightdge
#15 3 Train Systems In Bangkok
Image source: Few_Maize_1586
To be effective, infrastructure must constantly be improved and upgraded to keep up with the ways in which a society changes. For example, Brookings notes that the percentage of licensed drivers in the United States at the moment is the lowest it’s been in three decades. Because more and more people are relying on public transit and bikes or bike-sharing services, cities must adapt to make it easier for carless individuals to get around.
#16 Three Undergound Metro Lines Crossing Eachother At The Place De L’opéra In Paris
Image source: AlarmedYoshi
#17 Boston, MA Moved A Highway Underground In ~15 Years
Image source: treescentric
#18 Railway Bridge In Nairobi National Park, Kenya
Image source: biwook
Meanwhile, the United States still has a growing population. Because of this, infrastructure must be updated to accommodate a larger population. Cities, in particular, must provide more housing, transportation, and resources for their large populations. It’s also important to have resources in place that will help residents find work, particularly unemployed residents. The more that infrastructure works for the people, the better off they’ll be.
#19 The Tokyo Subway Network From Above
Image source: FCIUS
#20 An Archipelago In Norway
Image source: Gavin_av
#21 A Railroad Crossing Is Surrounded By Flooding Near Frankfurt, Germany (Michael Probst) [2000×1401]
Image source: earthmoonsun
While this list features examples from all over the world, there are certain places that have been particularly successful at implementing fantastic infrastructure. According to US News, Singapore is the best in the world when it comes to infrastructure. After Singapore, Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland, Estonia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Qatar, Sweden, and Lithuania aren’t far behind. So if you want to visit a place that will wow you with its infrastructure, now you know where to go!
#22 Ecoducts, Railway, Highway, Roads, Walkways,… In Breda, The Netherlands[740×1110]
Image source: earthmoonsun
#23 A Tram On The Stuttgart Rack Railway With A Trailer For Bikes. Stuttgart, Germany
Image source: gahte3
#24 Stuttgart 21 Underground Station, Germany By Ingenhoven Architects
Image source: r_sole1
Are you enjoying this list full of fabulous examples of brilliant infrastructure, pandas? Keep upvoting the images that impress you the most, and let us know in the comments below what you’d like to see your country improve. Then, if you’d like to check out another list from Bored Panda discussing the same topic, we recommend reading this article next!
#25 A Train Route In India
Image source: royalbluesword
#26 Crab Overpass On Christmas Island, Preventing Migrating Crabs From Getting Ran Over
Image source: Theweedhacker_420
#27 Boston
Image source: DefinitelyNotGreg
#28 Jacksonville, Florida Interchange
Image source: rockystl
#29 Intersection Of Chiba Urban Monorail, Japan
Image source: oddprophet63
#30 Roundabout And Bicycle Bridge In The Netherlands
Image source: LuckyLuuk14
#31 Dudhasagar Falls (Sea Of Milk), Goa, India
Image source: wickedGamer65
#32 Chongqing, China
Image source: straightdge
#33 The Chiba Monorail, In A Commuter Town Near Tokyo, Japan
Image source: biwook
#34 “V” Shaped Bridge In Moscow, Russia
Image source: tanmaypendse63
#35 The New Main Railway Station In Vienna, Austria
Image source: AlarmedYoshi
#36 Under Construction Chenab Railway Bridge, Jammu And Kashmir, India
Image source: wickedGamer65
#37 Storseisundet Bridge – Norway
Image source: rockystl
#38 Sart Canal Bridge, Belgium
Image source: Jezawan
#39 Inside The Main Railway Station In Berlin, Germany [1000×1000]
Image source: AlarmedYoshi
#40 The Falkirk Wheel, A Rotating Boat Lift In Scotland. It Replaces The Original 11 Locks On The Forth And Clyde Canal Junction With The Union Canal
Image source: Stotallytob3r
#41 “Gently Curving” The Gordie Howe International Bridge Opens Between The Us And Canada 🇺🇸🇨🇦
Image source: TheJournalist022
#42 Solar Panels Being Installed Over Canals In India. It Prevents Water Evaporation, Doesn’t Use Extra Land And Keeps Solar Panels Cooler
Image source: Alkit777
#43 I Was Told To Post This Here. Oil Rig Before It Is Underwater
Image source: sharpdevv
#44 The Gwangyang Steel Works In Gwangyang, South Korea – The Largest Facility Of Its Kind In The World
Image source: biwook
#45 Temporary Road Build Around A Landslide In Fukui Prefecture, Japan
Image source: biwook
#46 Mass Timber Parking In Wendlingen, Germany
Image source: r_sole1
#47 They Started Digging Foundation For That 170 Kilometers Long Building In Saudi Arabia
Image source: biwook
#48 High-Speed Rail And The Great Wall (Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics)
Image source: BumblebeeFantastic40
#49 Brutalist Flats In Camden, London
Image source: TheBetterFzeroX
#50 The World’s Longest Light Rail Line, The La Metro A Line, Just Opened Another 9 Mile Extension With 4 New Stations Yesterday, Now Stretching 58 Miles (93 Km). Since 1990, La Has Built A 121 Mile (195 Km), 107 Station Rail Network, With 27 Stations And 36 Miles Of New Rail Since 2015
Image source: urmummygae42069
#51 The Power Lines Over Lake Pontchartrain In Louisiana Illustrate Very Well That Earth Is Not Flat [1280×720]
Image source: earthmoonsun
#52 Seeing Too Many Highways Again, So Heres What Good Infrastructure Looks Like: The Gotthard Base Tunnel
Image source: Majestic_Trains
#53 Hsr Depot In Tianjin After Winter Storm
Image source: BumblebeeFantastic40
#54 In Case This Hasn’t Been Posted Here, Here’s Highway 401 AKA North America’s Busiest Highway At Its Widest Point (18 Lanes) Just Outside Of Toronto, Ontario
Image source: motemha
#55 Veluwemeer Aqueduct, The Netherlands
Image source: Psyfer__
#56 At Nearly 24 Miles Long, The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway In Louisiana Stands As The Longest Continuous Bridge Over Water In The World
Image source: No_Cartoonist9458
#57 Yanweizhou Park Was Designed To Flood During The Monsoon Season To Help Prevent The City Of Jinhua, China From Flooding
Image source: gahte3
#58 Giantic Bridge In Germany, 158 Meter Tall, 1702 Meters Long
Image source: According_South_2500
#59 Crh Highspeed Railway Station
Image source: [deleted]
#60 Peljesac Bridge, Croatia, Night Before The Opening Day
Image source: r_bubyy
#61 Bullet Trains In Fuzhou, China
Image source: Ok_Chain841
#62 The Storseisundet Bridge In Norway
Image source: thescarface5567
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