Disaster resilient infrastructure

Infrastructure systems and networks, the components, and assets thereof, and the services they provide, that are able to resist and absorb disaster impacts, maintain adequate levels of service continuity during crises, and swiftly recover in such a manner that future risks are reduced or prevented.

Notes:

1. Disaster resilience measures are relevant to the planning, design, financing, operation and maintenance of infrastructure systems and networks.

2. See also “Disaster resilience”.

BIG U – Rebuild by design

Rebuild by Design was created in New York, USA, after Hurricane Sandy, with the aim of promoting resilience in the affected region through an innovative community- and policy-based solution. The initiative, called the "Big U," encircles Manhattan, protecting ten continuous miles of low-lying geography that make up a densely populated and vulnerable urban area. The eponymous project is designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a Copenhagen and New York-based group of architects, designers, and builders. The project aims to provide flood protection while also offering social and environmental benefits to the community and fostering improved public spaces. The Big U is divided into three sections, each with a physically discrete flood-protection zone that can be isolated from flooding in adjacent areas, while presenting opportunities for integrated social and community planning. Proposed solutions for each component were designed in consultation with local stakeholders and have a benefit-cost ratio greater than one. The project serves as a blueprint for how socially resilient infrastructure can safeguard vulnerable regions of a city while also making them more environmentally and economically resilient.

 

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