technical infrastructure, as is currently understood, an exposition of other types of
infrastructure – environmental, economical, social, just to name a few – are
explained. Many people can manage without electricity, but nobody can live without
water. This explains the notion of critical infrastructure, for which it is essential to
consider better reliability and availability.
1.1 Infrastructure
1.1.1 Problems of Infrastructure
Robinson Crusoe’s problem was to find food and shelter, security and how to
communicate – with his servant Friday and the outside world. In modern times,
similar problems not only still exist, but have considerably increased. A small hamlet
may accommodate a few people living close together, but the village has more
problems calling for more solutions. How to communicate among each other in
order to bring food, water from the source (or storage area, depot) to the end of the
village. Other amenities are not different, for it would be equitable to make these
accessible to one and all.
1.1.2 Definition of Infrastructure
A first appearance of the term infrastructure appears in the late 1880s in France, but
was subsequently used in America in 1927 to designate the complex linkages of
waterways, roadways, and communication networks assisting military organisation
in the United States (Bowker 2018).
It is not very easy to give a definition to the word infrastructure. Structure comes
from the latin word struere meaning assembly, whereas infra means below.
Structure could be defined as the organisation of the elements of a complex
system into a coherent and permanent form. This expression is general enough to
cater for the architectural, economical, philosophical and public works viewpoints.
Superstructure is anything that rests on a base. It is a word that is commonly used
in marine terminology meaning the construction resting above the deck. From the
philosophical point of view, it is the political system (State) and the ideological
system (judicial, education, cultural, religious), resting on a given economic platform, or infrastructure.
This enables defining infrastructure as the means and forces of production which
are necessary for social development. In more practical terms, all the works necessary for the development of a community would constitute infrastructure. However,
the works – although necessary – are important, not because of their physical form or
appearance, but because they provide or facilitate the provision of services to users
and decision makers. This creates multiple and complex linkages of infrastructure to
2
1 Introduction to Infrastructure
infrastructure – environmental, economical, social, just to name a few – are
explained. Many people can manage without electricity, but nobody can live without
water. This explains the notion of critical infrastructure, for which it is essential to
consider better reliability and availability.
1.1 Infrastructure
1.1.1 Problems of Infrastructure
Robinson Crusoe’s problem was to find food and shelter, security and how to
communicate – with his servant Friday and the outside world. In modern times,
similar problems not only still exist, but have considerably increased. A small hamlet
may accommodate a few people living close together, but the village has more
problems calling for more solutions. How to communicate among each other in
order to bring food, water from the source (or storage area, depot) to the end of the
village. Other amenities are not different, for it would be equitable to make these
accessible to one and all.
1.1.2 Definition of Infrastructure
A first appearance of the term infrastructure appears in the late 1880s in France, but
was subsequently used in America in 1927 to designate the complex linkages of
waterways, roadways, and communication networks assisting military organisation
in the United States (Bowker 2018).
It is not very easy to give a definition to the word infrastructure. Structure comes
from the latin word struere meaning assembly, whereas infra means below.
Structure could be defined as the organisation of the elements of a complex
system into a coherent and permanent form. This expression is general enough to
cater for the architectural, economical, philosophical and public works viewpoints.
Superstructure is anything that rests on a base. It is a word that is commonly used
in marine terminology meaning the construction resting above the deck. From the
philosophical point of view, it is the political system (State) and the ideological
system (judicial, education, cultural, religious), resting on a given economic platform, or infrastructure.
This enables defining infrastructure as the means and forces of production which
are necessary for social development. In more practical terms, all the works necessary for the development of a community would constitute infrastructure. However,
the works – although necessary – are important, not because of their physical form or
appearance, but because they provide or facilitate the provision of services to users
and decision makers. This creates multiple and complex linkages of infrastructure to
2
1 Introduction to Infrastructure