How do you build a better future? What systems need to be in place to ensure we have the best, most sustainable outcome for the planet? Why is so much stuff broken?
Building for tomorrow
This series is all about infrastructure: the invisible layer of wires and guts and light that makes everything run. It’s not in the best shape, but what would it take to make it better?
Illustration by Sisi Kim for The Verge
These were the questions we asked ourselves as we outlined this special issue on infrastructure. We know that things like roads and bridges and wastewater treatment facilities are what make modern life possible. But there’s a lot more to our infrastructure that mostly goes unnoticed. So let’s change that.
We explore why the next few years are pivotal for self-driving trucks, look into the broadband industry’s long history with racial discrimination, ask what it will take to get rural Americans to adopt electric vehicles, and investigate the reasons Wi-Fi is so slow in most people’s homes. We also look at some very cool stuff, like space lasers, EV battery recycling, and the enormous triumphs of a simple bike lane.
We’re building for tomorrow. And we’re starting right now.
The promised wave of autonomous big rigs never materialized. But 2024 could prove to be a pivotal year for the technology.
Chris Mills Rodrigo
If we want to go to Mars, we need a better way to reliably relay messages through space. The solution could be optical communication, or lasers.
Georgina Torbet
The FCC’s new rules could be a step toward more equitable internet access — but will the agency stand up to telecoms?
Karl Bode
Cities and major travel corridors will get electrified in the coming years thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, but what does the EV transition look like for the places in between?
Abigail Bassett
Networks spent years telling us that 5G would change everything. But the flashiest use cases are nowhere to be found — and the race to deploy the tech was costly in more ways than one.
Allison Johnson
Engineers and major companies are pushing a technology called L4S that they say could make the web feel dramatically faster. But how?
Mitchell Clark
Advocates are working across the country to make their communities safer and more accessible for cyclists, but not every effort is successful.
Wes Davis
President Joe Biden has promised to revitalize American manufacturing. Longtime Silicon Valley residents hope hazardous chemicals won’t be coming back with it.
Justine Calma
A lot of homes are being built, but a lack of understanding of internet infrastructure and a need to cut costs means they kind of suck for internet.
Joanna Nelius
Smarter tech and new recycling techniques might just mean our EVs get even greener. Here’s how Redwood Materials is putting recycling at the heart of the burgeoning battery belt.
Tim Stevens
The promised wave of autonomous big rigs never materialized. But 2024 could prove to be a pivotal year for the technology.
Chris Mills Rodrigo
If we want to go to Mars, we need a better way to reliably relay messages through space. The solution could be optical communication, or lasers.
Georgina Torbet
The FCC’s new rules could be a step toward more equitable internet access — but will the agency stand up to telecoms?
Karl Bode
Cities and major travel corridors will get electrified in the coming years thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, but what does the EV transition look like for the places in between?
Abigail Bassett
Networks spent years telling us that 5G would change everything. But the flashiest use cases are nowhere to be found — and the race to deploy the tech was costly in more ways than one.
Allison Johnson
Engineers and major companies are pushing a technology called L4S that they say could make the web feel dramatically faster. But how?
Mitchell Clark
Advocates are working across the country to make their communities safer and more accessible for cyclists, but not every effort is successful.
Wes Davis
President Joe Biden has promised to revitalize American manufacturing. Longtime Silicon Valley residents hope hazardous chemicals won’t be coming back with it.
Justine Calma
A lot of homes are being built, but a lack of understanding of internet infrastructure and a need to cut costs means they kind of suck for internet.
Joanna Nelius
Smarter tech and new recycling techniques might just mean our EVs get even greener. Here’s how Redwood Materials is putting recycling at the heart of the burgeoning battery belt.
Tim Stevens