Sustainable
Civil Infrastructure Systems:
An Introduction
Dr. Annie R. Pearce
Sustainable Facilities & Infrastructure Program
Georgia Tech Research Institute
What is Sustainability?
! Sustain:
– “to keep in existence; to maintain” (AHCD
1993)
! Sustainability:
– “...a system state marked by stability, where
changes to the system remain constrained so as
to maintain the stability of the system into the
foreseeable future.” (Pearce 1995)
What is Sustainability?
! What
are we trying to sustain?
! Sustainable Technology?
! Sustainable Development:
– “...development which meets the needs [and
aspirations] of present generations without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.” (World Commission
on Environment & Development 1987)
What is Sustainability?
! Sustainability
of Humans & Human Race
! Objectives:
– Meeting human needs and aspirations now
– System stability over time
! What
are the important factors?
What is Sustainability?
! Thermodynamic
Foundations:
Earth
+ Solar Input
- Heat Output
System
What is Sustainability?
! Thermodynamic
Foundations:
– Consumption of Resources Increases
Entropy and Decreases Utility
What is Sustainability?
! Thermodynamic
Foundations:
– Ecosystems are
the Primary
Mechanism for
Regeneration of
Resources
What is Sustainability?
! Thermodynamic
Objectives:
– Minimize negative impacts on natural
ecosystems (since they are the primary
mechanism for capturing solar energy in the
form of photosynthesis)
– Minimize the gain in entropy of matter as a
result of consumption-related processes
What is Sustainability?
! The
Anthropocentric Component:
– Intragenerational Equity: meet the requirements
for human survival in the present
– Intergenerational Equity: leave the Earth in at
least as good a condition as we found it
– Motivation for Initiators: maintain standards of
living at least as good as the ones which
currently exist
What is Sustainability?
! Dimensions
and Objectives:
– Resource Base Impacts: protect supplies of
matter and energy - don’t overconsume
– Ecosystem Impacts: protect natural ecosystems
- don’t impact them more than they can recover
– Human Impacts: satisfy human needs and
aspirations, particularly those of stakeholders
Sustainability Considerations
Time
Cos t
HUMA N
IMPACTS
Quality
Cos t
Time
ECOSYS TEM
IMPA CTS
Quality
RESOU RCE
BAS E IMPACTS
Source: Pearce 1999
Considerations for Sustainable
Civil Infrastructure Systems
! Stakeholders:
– Who are they now?
– Who will they be in the future?
– What are their expectations, desires, and
requirements?
Considerations for Sustainable
Civil Infrastructure Systems
! Resource
Bases:
– What resource bases will be tapped to create the
infrastructure system in the first place (primary
impacts)?
– How will the system influence the use of
resources over time (secondary impacts)?
– How can the system be designed to reduce
demands for resources?
Considerations for Sustainable
Civil Infrastructure Systems
! Ecosystems:
– What will be the impact on natural ecosystems
of the infrastructure system?
" Displacement
" Destruction
" Degradation
– What can be done to reduce (or offset) negative
impacts to natural ecosystems, both now and in
the future?
Challenges of Sustainable
Civil Infrastructure Systems
! Long
life spans (multiple political terms)
! Limited resources (MLE + funding)
! Organizational complexity (inertia, politics,
legacies/backlogs, perspective too small)
! Requirement to satisfy constituency/public
accountability
! Making good decisions (unpredictability of
human systems, too much/too little data)
Village Homes
Davis, CA
! Narrow
streets
! Solar orientation
! Pedestrian system
! 90% less crime
Images complements of Rocky Mountain Institute
Village Homes
Davis, CA
Natural drainage swales
Images complements
of Rocky Mountain
Institute
Savings = $800/lot
Other benefits:
• Green space
• Crop sales
• Coolth
• Quality of life
• Market value
Haymount
Caroline County, VA
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
1,650 acre site
Mixed-use and mixed income
community
4,000 residential units
500,000 SF of office/light
industrial space
250,000 SF of retail space
50 acre college campus
Almost 70% of the site footprint
will be preserved or reforested
Determined where to build based
on extensive environmental studies
Habitats preserved, including
wetlands, forests, riverbanks, and
steep slopes
Images complements of
Rocky Mountain Institute
Haymount
Caroline County, VA
Images complements of Rocky Mountain Institute
! Series
of
neighborhoods with
small commercial
centers within five
minute walk
! Buildings clustered in
higher-than usual
densities
! Narrow streets
! Pedestrian-oriented
design
! Connections to mass
transit
Haymount
Caroline County, VA
! Invited
community
involvement
! Green builder program
! Energy & materials
codes
! Biological wastewater
treatment system
! Bio-technical storm
water management
system
! Organic farming and
farmers’ market
Images complements of Rocky Mountain Institute
Haymount
Caroline County, VA
“The County’s current zoning promotes low-density suburban
sprawl across large areas of undeveloped land - destroying
natural habitats, and necessitating automobile transport to
fulfill every human need.” —John Clark
Images complements of Rocky Mountain Institute
Future Considerations
! What
will be the influence on CIS of:
– Fossil fuel shortages?
– Advances in telecommunications?
– Changes in family structure and job
responsibilities?
– Changes in environmental quality
requirements?
– Changes in human health, e.g., asthma?