Much has been made of the current recession experience as a time that rivals only the Great Depression. Already, we live in "The Great Recession." And after a stimulus in 2009 as an answer to the struggling economy, another stimulus is in the works.

Eric Rauchway, professor of history at the University of California, Davis, makes the case that movements to advance American infrastructure, since the beginning, have been brought on by times of national crisis. But, will the current American crisis -- the Great Recession -- advance infrastructure again?

Robert Fishman, University of Michigan professor, on the role that national planning has played in shaping America's development.

U.S. mayors on December 9, 2008, called on President-elect Obama to channel infrastructure spending directly to cities rather than state governments. Consequently, there could be a problem with how infrastructure projects receive funding once the next stimulus bill is passed. However, there may be some lessons to be learned from how the New Deal was managed.