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• Infrastructure must be designed for robustness and resilience, because it is very
vulnerable to stranded capital and extreme events.
• FEW Infrastructure forms a multilayer network that involves interdependency
and cascading failure risk, especially from the electrical power grid and raw
water supply to other system components.
• Buffers are a key feature to ensure the reliability of FEW systems.
• Each layer of the FEW infrastructure handles a specialized commodity, and
involves a unique supply chain structure.
• FEW supply chains share some common features, including seven standard
steps.
Discussion Points and Exercises
1. Read the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card. Note the parts of the report card
that pertain to FEW commodity supply chains and/or infrastructures. (a) Do
you agree with the reasons for ASCE’s generally low ratings of the US infrastructure for FEW? (b) What are the specific consequences to the US FEW
system, of poorly maintained or inefficient infrastructure? (c) What fraction of
infrastructure types mentioned by ASCE are FEW-related?
2. Define and discuss the differences between Vulnerability, Risk, Robustness,
and Resilience as it pertains to infrastructure
3. Define and discuss the differences between Hard, Soft, Grey, Green, and
Natural infrastructure.
4. What is the essential difference between “infrastructure,” specifically, as compared with any type of system that produces or moves a good or service?
5. Is lock-in a problem or a benefit of infrastructure? Give an example where it is
a problem and an example where it is a benefit.
6. Give an example of storage in each major infrastructure category discussed in
this chapter.
7. Identify the most effective, efficient, or commonly used mode of transportation
for each major commodity category discussed in this chapter.
8. Discuss: what is a supply chain, and how can it be conceptually modeled?
(What are the key components of a supply chain?)
9. Is it possible to design infrastructure that will probably not experience a severe
failure over the next 100 years? 1000 years? Why or why not?
10. Discuss stranded capital, interdependency, lock-in, and buffers; (a) Is it possible to avoid stranding capital in infrastructure investments, creating interdependency, generating lock-in, or using large buffers, and if so, how? (b) Would
your strategy compromise reliability, robustness, or efficiency of the system?
(c) What is the best trade-off between these multiple objectives?
11. Discuss: what is the most unique feature of each FEW commodity’s supply
chain, and why?
12. Discuss: what careers and professions are responsible for FEW infrastructures?
13. Identify at least one important agency or law that governs the FEW infrastructure
in your location, at the local scale (not federal/national scale).
B. L. Ruddell et al.
• Infrastructure must be designed for robustness and resilience, because it is very
vulnerable to stranded capital and extreme events.
• FEW Infrastructure forms a multilayer network that involves interdependency
and cascading failure risk, especially from the electrical power grid and raw
water supply to other system components.
• Buffers are a key feature to ensure the reliability of FEW systems.
• Each layer of the FEW infrastructure handles a specialized commodity, and
involves a unique supply chain structure.
• FEW supply chains share some common features, including seven standard
steps.
Discussion Points and Exercises
1. Read the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card. Note the parts of the report card
that pertain to FEW commodity supply chains and/or infrastructures. (a) Do
you agree with the reasons for ASCE’s generally low ratings of the US infrastructure for FEW? (b) What are the specific consequences to the US FEW
system, of poorly maintained or inefficient infrastructure? (c) What fraction of
infrastructure types mentioned by ASCE are FEW-related?
2. Define and discuss the differences between Vulnerability, Risk, Robustness,
and Resilience as it pertains to infrastructure
3. Define and discuss the differences between Hard, Soft, Grey, Green, and
Natural infrastructure.
4. What is the essential difference between “infrastructure,” specifically, as compared with any type of system that produces or moves a good or service?
5. Is lock-in a problem or a benefit of infrastructure? Give an example where it is
a problem and an example where it is a benefit.
6. Give an example of storage in each major infrastructure category discussed in
this chapter.
7. Identify the most effective, efficient, or commonly used mode of transportation
for each major commodity category discussed in this chapter.
8. Discuss: what is a supply chain, and how can it be conceptually modeled?
(What are the key components of a supply chain?)
9. Is it possible to design infrastructure that will probably not experience a severe
failure over the next 100 years? 1000 years? Why or why not?
10. Discuss stranded capital, interdependency, lock-in, and buffers; (a) Is it possible to avoid stranding capital in infrastructure investments, creating interdependency, generating lock-in, or using large buffers, and if so, how? (b) Would
your strategy compromise reliability, robustness, or efficiency of the system?
(c) What is the best trade-off between these multiple objectives?
11. Discuss: what is the most unique feature of each FEW commodity’s supply
chain, and why?
12. Discuss: what careers and professions are responsible for FEW infrastructures?
13. Identify at least one important agency or law that governs the FEW infrastructure
in your location, at the local scale (not federal/national scale).
B. L. Ruddell et al.