Abstract
Catastrophic experiences that receive worldwide publicity can include both natural and human-made events. Examples include earthquakes, incidents in chemical plants, fires, tsunamis, explosions, and more, where each type of event can (and has) led to significant loss of life. No nation has been granted immunity from the effects of these types of events, and the international community frequently pulls together to help where it can. More frequently, however, such events can be less dramatic but can have notable/severe consequences of another type, that is, economic. Learning for the future, and thus, for future generations, is crucial. The functioning of modern societies continues to be increasingly dependent on physical infrastructure. Civil engineering plays a critical role in delivering a diverse range of sustainable infrastructure systems, including building and industrial facilities, transportation, energy, water supply, waste management, and communications systems. The profession also plays a critical role in maintaining the quality, integrity, and longevity of these systems. Society has a right to expect infrastructure that functions well; yet without resilience, that infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable. Traditional approaches of reactive, corrective actions to slow, reduce, and eliminate the impacts of catastrophic events, or prevent them altogether, in many cases have proven to be costly, inefficient, and ineffective. In response, a wide range of constituencies from both within and outside civil engineering has been attempting to define the attributes and characteristics of infrastructure resilience, particularly with integrated/enhanced sustainability features in mind. To establish a direction, in 2011 the Central Government of the United Kingdom published a national infrastructure plan, which keeps infrastructure resilience under review. Emerging research in the United Kingdom indicates that decision makers need to integrate resilience at all stages of the project life cycle, particularly the early funding allocation, planning, and conceptual design phases. More specifically, to be successful in the pursuit of infrastructure resilience, civil engineers, as well as others in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) Industry, need to (1) define, plan, and design for more resilience, (2) procure, construct, commission, operate, and maintain infrastructure with resilience in mind, and (3) supply more building technologies, systems, products, and materials that embody resilience with enhanced sustainability in mind. Topics such as sustainability, globalization, emerging technologies, innovation, and infrastructure resilience benefit from being viewed in an international context. Multiple organizations within the international community have been formally, explicitly, and proactively addressing infrastructure resilience. In the United Kingdom, researchers have asked, What can be done? How can it be done? With what resources can it be done? This paper investigates current approaches to infrastructure resilience in the United Kingdom and proposes practical ideas to stimulate an ongoing, industrywide dialog and debate. This will be of interest to civil engineers and to those in other disciplines in both professional practice and academia, as well as to infrastructure owners and managers.