The Infrastructure Book
How Cities Work and Power Our Lives
Published on 4. March 2025
272 pages
978-1-4930-8665-8 (ISBN)
Description
"[A] penetrating analysis of urban infrastructure..." -Nature
Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet - all this infrastructure is what makes cities work and powers our lives, often seamlessly and silently. Virtually everything we do and consume depends on infrastructure. Yet, most people have little to no idea how these systems work. How is water treated? How do cities manage rainwater? Why do traffic jams exist? How is electricity generated and distributed? What happens to trash after it is picked up? How does the Internet work?
In The Infrastructure Book, world-renowned urban engineering expert Sybil Derrible reveals the behind-the-scenes machinations of the foundational systems that make our societies function. Visiting sixteen cities around the world and their unique approaches to organizational challenges - from water distribution in Hong Kong to waste management in Tokyo, and from Chicago's power grid to low Earth orbit satellites in space - this highly readable book uses fascinating case studies and historical detours to show how infrastructure works - and, sometimes, doesn't.
With large-scale infrastructure repairs looming and the need for existing infrastructure to be transformed, the book also shows how infrastructure can be more sustainable and resilient. After reading The Infrastructure Book, readers will never look at a city the same way.
Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet - all this infrastructure is what makes cities work and powers our lives, often seamlessly and silently. Virtually everything we do and consume depends on infrastructure. Yet, most people have little to no idea how these systems work. How is water treated? How do cities manage rainwater? Why do traffic jams exist? How is electricity generated and distributed? What happens to trash after it is picked up? How does the Internet work?
In The Infrastructure Book, world-renowned urban engineering expert Sybil Derrible reveals the behind-the-scenes machinations of the foundational systems that make our societies function. Visiting sixteen cities around the world and their unique approaches to organizational challenges - from water distribution in Hong Kong to waste management in Tokyo, and from Chicago's power grid to low Earth orbit satellites in space - this highly readable book uses fascinating case studies and historical detours to show how infrastructure works - and, sometimes, doesn't.
With large-scale infrastructure repairs looming and the need for existing infrastructure to be transformed, the book also shows how infrastructure can be more sustainable and resilient. After reading The Infrastructure Book, readers will never look at a city the same way.
Reviews / Votes
"[A] penetrating analysis of urban infrastructure..." * Nature * "We're all going to need this book sometime... [Derrible] is a capable and companionable tour guide for what amounts to a culturally astute infrastructure travelogue... I'll be keeping my copy close on my desk to look up everything about infrastructure that I didn't know but was too embarrassed, or lazy, to find out until now." * Engineering News-Record * "Derrible's book is a worthy new tool... expertly done with a snappy and engaging writing style perfectly suited to his goal of making engineering accessible." * ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) * "Finally a definitive infrastructure book from a trusted expert that is accessible to laypeople and covers a whole range of structure types and functions, all using case studies from cities around the globe. Whether you're a nerd or just want to attempt to understand the extreme complexity that makes up the modern systems that stage our lives, this is a great read for you!" * The Colorado Sun * "Common sense can be so uncommon, but it pervades this thoughtful and entertaining volume. The Infrastructure Book is an easy-to-digest and right-headed primer on the cities hidden beneath our cities." -- Jeff Speck, urban planner and author of Walkable City "Like a magician revealing the secrets of how amazing things happen, Sybil Derrible describes in fascinating detail the underlying foundation of our social fabric. The Infrastructure Book is a must-read." -- Feniosky Pena-Mora, 2025 president of the American Society of Civil Engineers "If you want to know how a city works, this is the book for you. The Infrastructure Book takes readers on a fascinating tour of the world explaining in everyday language how our water, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and transport systems work. Incredibly readable - my knowledge has increased tremendously." -- Sir Robert Watson, CMG, FRS, professor emeritus of the University of East Anglia and former chair of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "In The Infrastructure Book, Sybil Derrible weaves these stories together to explore how we shape infrastructure, how infrastructure shapes us, and how fragile that relationship can be. If you've ever wondered how many people, pipes, pumps, and purifiers stand between you and a glass of clean water, this book is well worth your time." -- Guru Madhavan, Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and Senior Director of Programs, National Academy of EngineeringMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Globe Pequot Press
Illustrations
5 BW Illustrations, 1 BW Photos
File size
6,52 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4930-8665-8 (9781493086658)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Sybil Derrible is a professor of urban engineering and director of the Complex and Sustainable Urban Networks Laboratory at the University of Illinois Chicago. He is a world-renowned scholar on infrastructure and a lead author on the United Nations Environmental Program's Seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) report. He received the Walter L. Huber Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers and a CAREER Award from the US National Science Foundation.
