Concepts and practices for transforming infrastructure from rigid to adaptable

TLDR

Infrastructure is increasingly recognized as too rigid to adapt quickly to climate change and a non‑stationary future, posing risks to service delivery and public welfare. The study seeks to identify how infrastructure can be made more agile and flexible to improve adaptive capacity. The authors conducted a literature review of about fifty examples of novel infrastructure and technologies that support adaptivity via ten theoretical characteristics. The review identified several adaptive infrastructure forms and strategies—smart technologies, hybrid organizational structures, and renewable electricity generation—that, with institutional and cultural support, could transform infrastructure provision and management.

Abstract

Infrastructure are increasingly being recognized as too rigid to quickly adapt to a changing climate and a non-stationary future. This rigidness poses risks to infrastructure service delivery and public welfare. Adaptivity in infrastructure is critical for managing uncertainties to continue providing services, yet little is known about how infrastructure can be made more agile and flexible for improved adaptive capacity. A literature review identified approximately fifty examples of novel infrastructure and technologies which support adaptivity through one or more of ten theoretical characteristics of adaptive infrastructure. From these examples, several infrastructure forms and possible strategies for adaptivity emerged, including smart technologies, combined centralized/decentralized organizational structures, and renewable electricity generation. With institutional and cultural support, such novel structures and systems have the potential to transform infrastructure provision and management.