the economy because there are externalities (spillover effects – both positive and
negative) involving huge expenditure flows. The economic development of a country depends heavily on the availability of adequate infrastructure facilities.
(An externality is the benefit or cost that results on a third party when someone
else takes an action. More in Chaps. 2 and 17.)
For example, to attract tourists and provide them with a satisfying experience on
which long-term, profitable business can be built, construction of suitable accommodation, restaurants and passenger transport terminals at the resorts is necessary. In
addition, there must be a sufficiency of essential and basic services: roads, and
transportation, water, electricity, sewerage disposal systems harbours, airports serving both the local residents and visitors.
As governments seem to be well aware of this, most of them have invested
heavily in such sectors, apart from providing education and training, health and
empowerment of disadvantaged groups.
Thus, the complex interaction and operation among human, economic, technical
systems and the environment comprise the network of infrastructure services for
which Hall et al. (2016) identify (a) suppliers (b) customers and (c) externalities.
(a) suppliers comprise the public and private sectors which implement, and operate
the physical facilities together with the relevant manpower.
(b) customers consist of individuals and households, who need these services for
their welfare, government and businesses, which run their organisations with the
support of these services.
(c) externalities to the supplier-customer connection are the various impacts
(e.g. positive – shorter trips benefitting people and negative side-effects such
as pollution of the environment) resulting from the implementation of such
infrastructure services (more in Chaps. 2 and 17).
Between source and destination, there are many ways of providing infrastructure
services – conversion or treatment, storage and conveyance. As there is no precise
distinction between these categories (e.g. gas and water pipelines provide both
storage and conveyance), Hall et al. (2016) gives following definition:
An infrastructure service operates physical facilities and ancillary human organisations to transform, store and convey (physical and virtual) resources so as to
provide an option for an activity.
Among other things, the resources in the above definition include freight, passengers, water, waste products, various types of energy carriers, and information
(data). But, much will depend on the relevant infrastructure service,
More will be explained later on the nature of “systems” in Chap. 6. For the time
being, given the way infrastructure services and the associated processes for their
provision, (mechanical, human, communications systems controlling the physical
operation of actual infrastructure facilities), it is fitting to provide a definition of
infrastructure systems:
An infrastructure system provides a particular infrastructure service through
the assembly, interlinking, and coordinated operation of the relevant physical facilities and human systems required.
1.1 Infrastructure
3
negative) involving huge expenditure flows. The economic development of a country depends heavily on the availability of adequate infrastructure facilities.
(An externality is the benefit or cost that results on a third party when someone
else takes an action. More in Chaps. 2 and 17.)
For example, to attract tourists and provide them with a satisfying experience on
which long-term, profitable business can be built, construction of suitable accommodation, restaurants and passenger transport terminals at the resorts is necessary. In
addition, there must be a sufficiency of essential and basic services: roads, and
transportation, water, electricity, sewerage disposal systems harbours, airports serving both the local residents and visitors.
As governments seem to be well aware of this, most of them have invested
heavily in such sectors, apart from providing education and training, health and
empowerment of disadvantaged groups.
Thus, the complex interaction and operation among human, economic, technical
systems and the environment comprise the network of infrastructure services for
which Hall et al. (2016) identify (a) suppliers (b) customers and (c) externalities.
(a) suppliers comprise the public and private sectors which implement, and operate
the physical facilities together with the relevant manpower.
(b) customers consist of individuals and households, who need these services for
their welfare, government and businesses, which run their organisations with the
support of these services.
(c) externalities to the supplier-customer connection are the various impacts
(e.g. positive – shorter trips benefitting people and negative side-effects such
as pollution of the environment) resulting from the implementation of such
infrastructure services (more in Chaps. 2 and 17).
Between source and destination, there are many ways of providing infrastructure
services – conversion or treatment, storage and conveyance. As there is no precise
distinction between these categories (e.g. gas and water pipelines provide both
storage and conveyance), Hall et al. (2016) gives following definition:
An infrastructure service operates physical facilities and ancillary human organisations to transform, store and convey (physical and virtual) resources so as to
provide an option for an activity.
Among other things, the resources in the above definition include freight, passengers, water, waste products, various types of energy carriers, and information
(data). But, much will depend on the relevant infrastructure service,
More will be explained later on the nature of “systems” in Chap. 6. For the time
being, given the way infrastructure services and the associated processes for their
provision, (mechanical, human, communications systems controlling the physical
operation of actual infrastructure facilities), it is fitting to provide a definition of
infrastructure systems:
An infrastructure system provides a particular infrastructure service through
the assembly, interlinking, and coordinated operation of the relevant physical facilities and human systems required.
1.1 Infrastructure
3