Risk Assessment, Management and Monitoring of Infrastructure Systems

Urban infrastructure constitutes physical facilities such as road and highway networks, buildings, railways, dams, bridges, underground areas, water supplies and so on, all of which provide essential services to support and sustain civilian life in an urban area. It is a public asset that is accessible to everybody and serves as a basis for their economic and social activities. Therefore the economy of one nation is heavily dependent upon the satisfactory performance of its infrastructures. In this paper the concept of risk assessment and management of urban infrastructures are discussed. Focus of discussion is put on the risk due to natural disaster and infrastructure deterioration, and on the sustainability of infrastructure. The concept of risk assessment is herein presented first, followed by examples of risk assessment and management due to natural disasters. The last part introduces infrastructure monitoring as an essential tool for risk reduction. Current practices in monitoring of infrastructure system, such as bridges and railways, are demonstrated.