Next Generation Infrastructure: Principles for Post-Industrial Public Works PDF Book Download *FREE

The 2007 bridge collapse in Minneapolis-St. Paul quickly became symbolic of the debilitated interstate highway systemandmdash;and of what many critics see as Americaandrsquo;s disinvestment in its infrastructure. The extreme vulnerability of single-purpose, aging infrastructure was highlighted once again when Hurricane Sandy churned its way across the northeast United States. Inundating New York Cityandrsquo;s vital arteries, floodwaters overwhelmed tunnels and sewers; closed bridges; shut down the electrical substations that control mass transit; curtailed gas supplies; and destroyed streets, buildings, and whole neighborhoods. For days and on into weeks, failures triggered by floodwaters deprived millions of electricity, heat, and water services.

How can our complex, interdependent utilities support an urbanizing world, subject to carbon constraints and the impacts of climate change? How might these critical networks be made more efficient, less environmentally damaging, and more resilient? Such questions are at the heart of the approaches and initiatives explored in Next Generation Infrastructure. With a better understanding of the possible connections between different services, not only can inadvertent disruptions be reduced, but crosscutting benefits and lower costs will be possible. Next Generation Infrastructure highlights hopeful examples from around the world, ranging from the Mount Poso cogeneration plant in California to urban rainwater harvesting in Seoul, South Korea, to the multi-purpose Marina Barrage project in Singapore. Five bold organizing objectives are proposed that, in the hands of decision-makers and designers, will help bring about a future of multipurpose, low-carbon, resilient infrastructure that is tightly coordinated with natural and social systems.

In their conception and design, the innovative projects highlighted in Next Generation Infrastructure encourage us to envision infrastructure within a larger economic, environmental, and social context, and to share resources across systems, reducing costs and extending benefits. Through this systems approach to lifeline services, we can begin to move toward a more resilient future.

andquot;Next Generation Infrastructure is a forward-thinking manifesto; a gold mine of useful examples of infrastructural solutions from around the globe. This is a must read for anyone concerned about our urban futures.andquot;

andquot;Americaand#39;s ability to realize its full competitive potential and address its super-sized economic, social, and environmental challenges depends fundamentally on getting infrastructure right. This book reveals the enormous variety in how different sectors of infrastructure are designed, financed, governed and, as importantly, how it all works together.andquot;

andquot;Hillary Brown understands thatandmdash;for our grandchildrenand#39;s sakeandmdash;we must rebuild America and, in doing so, re-imagine our interconnected infrastructure systems to make them more efficient, environmentally safe, and resilient in this age of global urbanization. This fascinating and important book should be required reading for our elected officials and policy-makers.andquot;

“Next Generation Infrastructure: Principles for Post-Industrial Public Works is an inspiring argument for infrastructure that behaves like nature.”

Robert Puentes – Director, Metropolitan Infrastructure Initiative, Brookings Institution

andquot;Next Generation Infrastructure: Principles for Post-Industrial Public Works is a journey through Brownandrsquo;s lively and facile mind. She has cataloged and taxonomized many public works throughout the world that harness innovative, sustainable methods and practices.andquot;

andquot;Landscape architects who work with infrastructure projects will appreciate the broad look the author Hillary Brown takes at whatandrsquo;s needed to make infrastructure work in the modern world.andquot;

andquot;[Next Generation Infrastructure] argues that even in the absence of federal will, we can reduce our carbons, protect our resources, plan for climate change and improve our milieu, all while saving money and reaping greater social benefits.andquot;

andquot;Next Generation Infrastructure: Principles for Post-Industrial Public Works is an inspiring argument for infrastructure that behaves like nature.andquot;

andquot;The bottom line-this is bold thinking about how to confront a looming problem of outdated and failing infrastructure systems that, if unresolved, could cripple the U.S. economy and lifestyle…Brown presents a positive and optimistic way forward, firmly grounded in current experience, pragmatic principles, and workable technology. If widely read, Next Generation Infrastructure can provide invaluable inspiration and guidance for next-generation decision makers.andquot;

The 2007 bridge collapse in Minneapolis-St. Paul quickly became symbolic of the debilitated interstate highway systemand#151;and of what many critics see as Americaand#8217;s disinvestment in its infrastructure. The extreme vulnerability of single-purpose, aging infrastructure was highlighted once again when Hurricane Sandy churned its way across the northeast United States. Inundating New York Cityand#8217;s vital arteries, floodwaters overwhelmed tunnels and sewers; closed bridges; shut down mass transit; curtailed gas supplies; and destroyed streets, buildings, and whole neighborhoods.

Next Generation Infrastructureand#160;takes a critical but ultimately hopeful look at how our infrastructure networks can be made more efficient, less environmentally damaging, and more resilient. Brown argues that, if we’re to chart a course for global sustainability, we must begin to design, regulate, and finance infrastructure that decouples carbon-intensive and ecologically harmful technologies from critical infrastructure systems, namely the essential systems for contemporary society: water, wastewater, power, solid waste, transportation, and communication.and#160;The book highlights hopeful examples from around the world, ranging from the Mount Poso cogeneration plant in California to urban rainwater harvesting in Seoul, South Korea, to the multi-purpose Marina Barrage project in Singapore.and#160;

Brown encourages us to envision infrastructure within a larger economic, environmental, and social context, and to share resources across systems, reducing costs and extending benefits.and#160;This is a must read for professionals and students interested in a more resilient urban future including urban designers, architects, urban planners, urban policymakers, landscape architects, and engineers.and#160;

Hillary Brown, FAIA, is Principal of the firm New Civic Works and Professor at the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. Previously, as a New York City Assistant Commissioner, Brown was Founding Director of NYCs Office of Sustainable Design. Brown led publication of the nationally recognized City of New York High Performance Building Guidelines and High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines. She currently serves on the National Research Council of the National Academies Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment. Brown has served on both the national and New York Chapter Board of Directors for the U.S. Green Building Council and is a Fellow of the Post-Carbon Institute.

Foreword \ David W. Orr

Acknowledgements

and#160;

Chapter 1. Introduction: Bold Endeavors Needed

Chapter 2. Toward Infrastructural Ecologies: Interconnected, Multipurpose, and Synergistic Systems

Chapter 3. Greening Heat and Power: An Integrated Approach to Decarbonizing Energy

Chapter 4. Advancing Soft Path Water Infrastructure: Combined Constructed and Natural Systems

Chapter 5. De-Stigmatizing Infrastructure: Design of Communityand#150;Friendly Facilities

Chapter 6. Creating Resilient Coastlines and Waterways: Hard and Soft Constructions

Chapter 7. Combating Water Stress and Scarcity: Augmented Sources and Improved Storage

Chapter 8. Ways Forward: Think Systematically, Experiment Locally

and#160;

Notes

Index