Complexity in future cities: the rise of networked infrastructure

How will urban infrastructure systems (UIS) be planned in future cities? In the twenty-first century, cities will need to overcome many challenges. They will need to accommodate a growing urban population who aspire for higher standards of living, while reducing the amount of energy and resources that are being consumed, and UIS planning will be central to address these challenges. A conceptual approach is taken in this article to envision the role and structure of UIS in future cities. First by recalling concepts of diminishing marginal returns from Joseph Tainter, a brief history of infrastructure planning is then offered, spanning from the early human settlements and the Roman aqueducts to modern planning. A discussion of the current structure and co-dependence of UIS follows, and ideas are presented to better engineer networked infrastructure systems, notably using elements of complexity science. Finally, some ideas are offered to leverage current advances in information technology to better coordinate UIS planning across various departments. Overall, UIS planning is bound to change dramatically, and better integrating them into networked infrastructure may be key to solve our current challenges in future cities.