Gregory Porumbescu

Despite longer lifespans, many people keep feeling “time poor,” often struggling to complete daily tasks. This challenge is most pronounced among women, who frequently have disproportionate domestic labor responsibilities, and low-income individuals, who frequently lack the resources to outsource time-intensive activities. As time poverty reinforces and perpetuates social inequalities, policies to alleviate it, such as reducing time spent on errands like queuing for goods and services, can play a key role in addressing these disparities.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act comes at a time when smart-city initiatives, which aim to use technology to make cities more responsive to their residents’ needs, are growing more common around the world.