Uncertainty might have been an abstract idea once, but it has become all too real these days because we are all living it. Pandemic hardened cities are operating differently now. Global conflict is altering local dynamics. Undeniable climate effects have put sustainability front and center of everything we do.
How will all these change Infrastructure? The interviews taken by the authors of this article have turned up 3 traits that respondents felt will be important, and I can’t say I disagree.
https://www.govtech.com/fs/survey-paints-clear-picture-of-tomorrows-infrastructure-needs
They are… Resilient. Flexible. Customizable.
Together, these may hold the key to finding innovation for the infrastructure of the future. And one of the best ways to unlock this is for practitioners to integrate new disciplines - e.g. digital tech, nature based solutions - with traditional disciplines of engineering, both in the design processes as well as to enhance system lifetime value.