New York could have had a practical and profitable subway in operation by the 1870s—financed entirely by the private sector—had franchise terms been as liberal as those in Great Britain. Although it would not have been as technologically sophisticated as the 1904 subway, it would have been superior to the elevated railways of the time. Moreover, permitting experimentation and entrepreneurship in New York City's transportation industry would ultimately have accelerated the development of subway technology. Regardless, given the political constraints, the DBOM public-private partnership model finalized in 1900 was extremely successful. The lines built under this model comprise half of today’s New York City Subway network. Fares were low, no government subsidies were required, and investors earned high returns (until the unprecedented inflation of World War I, which could have been resolved by allowing the franchisees to raise fares with inflation).

Why does New York City have a subway system, and why does it have such an unusual design? Railroad engineers developed its bold and ambitious design in 1891 for the purposes of speed and convenience, above all else. By understanding the original thinking behind the subway, we can see beneath the grit and appreciate the true beauty of the system…and be inspired to build even bigger and better things in the future. The subway possesses a combination of design elements that make it unequalled among the world’s major rapid transit systems. The pillars of the system’s design are the high-speed right-of-way and trains, being underground but close to the surface, having extensive four-track mainlines with all tracks on the same level, and providing bi-directional local and express service.

Singapore F&B companies must venture beyond Singapore for greener pastures. Venturing overseas can be successful for many, while others have failed. The key questions are the following: 1. What are the critical success factors? 2. What are the struggles? 3. Is internationalisation the same process for all companies? 4. What capabilities and competencies must the company possess to succeed internationally? 5. What are the internationalisation strategies to be successful? The book is based on a multiple-case study of the internationalisation of thirty Singapore food service companies. These Singaporean companies were categorised in the stages of internationalisation as aspirants, actives, and achievers. To strengthen external validity and data triangulation, the study included eleven industry experts, termed as advisers, and seven international purchasers of the Singapore F&B brands called acquirers. _______________________________________________ James Mok has written a must-read book for any F&B business considering international franchising, in particular throughout Asia. The thirty cases studies were well chosen to illustrate the complexity, challenges and pitfalls Asian F&B businesses face when introducing a foreign foodservice concept to overseas markets. This book also serves as highly useful guide for Asia-based F&B businesses to compete successfully internationally (Dr Stephen Choo).

Urban transport systems are essential for economic development and improving citizens' quality of life. To establish high-quality and affordable transport systems, cities must ensure their financial sustainability to fund new investments in infrastructure while also funding maintenance and operation of existing facilities and services. However, many cities in developing countries are stuck in an "underfunding trap" for urban transport, in which large up-front investments are needed for new transport infrastructure that will improve the still small-scale, and perhaps, poor-quality systems, but revenue is insufficient to cover maintenance and operation expenses, let alone new investment projects. The urban transport financing gap in these cities is further widened by the implicit subsidies for the use of private cars, which represent a minority of trips but contribute huge costs in terms of congestion, sprawl, accidents, and pollution. Using an analytical framework based on the concept of "Who Benefits Pays," 24 types of financing instruments are assessed in terms of their social, economic and environmental impacts and their ability to fund urban transport capital investments, operational expenses, and maintenance. Urban transport financing needs to be based on an appropriate mix of complementary financing instruments. In particular for capital investments, a combination of grants †“from multiple levels of government†“ and loans together with investments through public private partnerships could finance large projects that benefit society. Moreover, the property tax emerges as a key financing instrument for capital, operation, and maintenance expenses. By choosing the most appropriate mix of financing instruments and focusing on wise investments, cities can design comprehensive financing for all types of urban transport projects, using multi-level innovative revenue sources that promote efficient pricing schemes, increase overall revenue, strengthen sustainable transport, and cover capital investments, operation, and maintenance for all parts of a public transport system, "from the sidewalk to the subway."

Radically improved urban transportation would greatly improve our quality of life and standard of living, and substeading would achieve this. Substeading is homesteading underground; it is a legal process that would allow new privately owned corridors to be brought into productive use from the unused subsurface. Substeading is economically powerful, based on proven technology, and could transform big cities in a generation. It would create brand-new and conveniently-located rights-of-way, ideal for new urban transportation networks and other infrastructure. This would pave the way for bigger and better cities by nurturing new construction and infrastructure technologies and by eroding regulatory obstacles to new development. Substeading is also politically practical because it has minimal environmental impacts, requires no government funding, and doesn’t use eminent domain.

World Development Report 1994 examines the link between infrastructure and development and explores ways in which developing countries can improve both the provision and the quality of infrastructure services. In recent decades, developing countries have made substantial investments in infrastructure, achieving dramatic gains for households and producers by expanding their access to services such as safe water, sanitation, electric power, telecommunications, and transport. Even more infrastructure investment and expansion are needed in order to extend the reach of services - especially to people living in rural areas and to the poor. But as this report shows, the quantity of investment cannot be the exclusive focus of policy. Improving the quality of infrastructure service also is vital. Both quantity and quality improvements are essential to modernize and diversify production, help countries compete internationally, and accommodate rapid urbanization. The report identifies the basic cause of poor past performance as inadequate institutional incentives for improving the provision of infrastructure. To promote more efficient and responsive service delivery, incentives need to be changed through commercial management, competition, and user involvement. Several trends are helping to improve the performance of infrastructure. First, innovation in technology and in the regulatory management of markets makes more diversity possible in the supply of services. Second, an evaluation of the role of government is leading to a shift from direct government provision of services to increasing private sector provision and recent experience in many countries with public-private partnerships is highlighting new ways to increase efficiency and expand services. Third, increased concern about social and environmental sustainability has heightened public interest in infrastructure design and performance.