Case Study of Interconnected Urban Infrastructure Vulnerability to Hazards

Abstract eng:
Interdependencies amongst infrastructure systems, including transportation, water, electrical, and communication systems, have increased drastically with the rising level of complexity in developed cities (Pelling, 2003; Quirk and Saeger, 2005). Modern computational advancements have allowed previously independent systems to rely to a great extent on the interconnections of systems, and the resultant potential vulnerability can be especially critical during extreme events, whether of natural cause, technological or intentional (Haimes, Santos and Williams, 2005). As this complex network has evolved, it has magnified existing levels of vulnerability in densely populated areas (Burtica et al, 2011). These interdependencies should be identified and addressed, requiring extensive collaboration among various agencies and organizations at all levels: federal, state and local (Enarson and Morrow, 1998). The Denver Region in Colorado, USA is used as an example case study showing the existing interdependencies (using a GIS system (Kataoka, 2004)) susceptible to a man-made hazard. The criticality of these identified interdependencies is shown by discussing the affects from a hazardous material accident scenario. Case studies at a local level are critical in understanding the infrastructure network at the local and nationwide level. Physical and geographical interdependencies are the main focus of this paper.

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