According to Infrastructure, Technology and Mayors' Priorities for confronting a Health, Economic and Societal Crisis, a new U.S. conference of Mayors (USCM) study conducted in partnership with Siemens USA by The Harris Poll, the majority of mayors believe that investing in infrastructure is essential for both economic growth and to generate jobs.

"This survey shows that mayors are more committed than ever to embracing the sparks of innovation and technology with greater urgency to adapt, redefine and reimagine their cities in order to better serve local residents and advance economic recovery," said Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA.

Some of the key findings from the survey include:

• Nearly all mayors surveyed (98%) expect their city’s operating budget to decline over the next 12-18 months, with two in three (66%) attributing all or most of the decline to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Mayors’ immediate top investment priorities for economic recovery are investing in infrastructure to generate jobs and for economic growth (69%) and expanding delivery of virtual/online city services (63%).
• The majority of mayors (89%) say that cities need to implement smart technologies to help employees return to work with confidence.
• More than nine in 10 mayors agree that investment in technology to reimagine, rework, change, or adapt how commercial buildings are being used is necessary for the future of their city (97%) and that investment in buildings/facilities is still necessary for their city despite some tasks being conducted online during the COVID-19 pandemic (94%).
• Two-thirds of mayors (67%) agree that now is the best time for their city to invest in transit-related capital projects to address longer-term needs, likely linked to a majority (92%) who agree that updating roads, signaling, sidewalks, or tunnels/bridges will help bring back jobs and revitalize their city’s economy.
• All mayors (100%) report that corporations have a role to play in helping to rebuild/revitalize their city’s economy, most commonly through capital investments (69%).
• According to the survey, the vast majority of mayors (94%) agree that the federal government should provide emergency fiscal relief for America's cities to mitigate the budget shortfalls resulting from COVID-19's impact on their local economies. And, 86% say that without financial assistance from the federal government, the ability of their city's economy to bounce back will be significantly delayed.