Infrastructure Book

Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunications, and even the Internet are the infrastructure that keeps cities running and powers daily life, usually without anyone noticing. Almost everything people do and consume depends on these systems, yet most have little idea how they work. How is water treated? How do cities handle rainwater? Why do traffic jams happen? How is electricity produced and delivered? Where does trash go after it is collected? How does the Internet function?

In The Infrastructure Book, urban engineering expert Sybil Derrible explains what goes on behind the scenes in these foundational systems. The book visits sixteen cities around the world, each with its own way of tackling organizational challenges. Examples range from water distribution in Hong Kong and waste management in Tokyo to Chicago's power grid and satellites in low Earth orbit. Case studies and historical side trips show how infrastructure works and, at times, where it fails.

With major repairs to existing infrastructure on the horizon and a need to transform it, the book also considers how these systems can become more sustainable and resilient. It is written to be highly readable for general audiences, and it aims to change how readers see the cities around them.