Daniel Jonsson

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Daniel Jonsson

• Swedish Defence Research Agency
• Dep. of Energy and Environmental Security
• Royal Inst. of Techn., KTH
• Dep. of Built Environment Analysis
• Dep. of Environmental Strategies Reseach fms

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A Systems Perspective on Infrastructure(infrastr
ucture system infrasystem)

• System characteristics a technical perspective
• System development a socio-technical
  perspective
• What are infrasystems delivering? a service
  perspective

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Systems?

• Lars Ingelstam 2002
• Machines
• Organisms
• Social systems
• Socio-technical systems
• NTS-systems (NatureTechnologySociety)

• Peter Checkland 1999
• Designed physical systems
• Designed abstract systems
• Human activity systems
• Natural systems

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Systems?

• Systems are defined by boundaries, demarcating a
  certain system from the surroundings. The system
  consists of components and relations, forming
  some sort of entirety.

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Basic functions of infrasystems

• transport (of people and goods)
• water and sewage
• energy
• waste
• communication (of information)

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Overview
Infrasystems
Users / consumers
technicalcomponents
environment
economy
householdsorganisationsenterprisesbuildings
society
deliver
institutions
socialissues
services
legal prerequisites
politicaltrends
socio-technicalaspects
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Technical components
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Infrasystem architecture
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Nodes

• ...where certain functions, or processes, are
  performed on the flow or where the flow is
  produced or consumed

• Origin nodes power plants, water works,
  television and radio stations, refuse chutes, WCs
• Destination nodes wall sockets, water taps, TVs
  and radios, landfills, sewage treatment plants
• Process nodes power transformers, supporting
  water pumps, TV satellites, waste assortment
  facilities, telephone exchanges, train switches
• Multi-purpose nodes train stations, on-line
  computers, waste incineration plants

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Links

• ...what is generally referred to as
  infrastructure

• Visible roads, pipes, cables, rails
• Invisible air corridors, radio links, navigation
  channels
• Exclusive water pipes, oil and gas pipelines,
  subways, electric cables
• Non-exclusive roads, rails

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Networks

• Point-shaped shipping, air traffic (only
  accessible at ports and airports)
• Line-shaped roads, power mains, telephones
• Surface-shaped radio, TV, mobile phone networks
• Grid-based electricity, water, district heating,
  railways (visible links)
• Non-grid-based shipping, air transport, radio,
  TV (invisible links)
• Specific electricity, water, telephone
  (exclusive grid-based)
• Existing postal services, food distribution,
  non-grid-based energy systems
• Natural waterways, air, on the air (natural
  broadcasting media)
• (Arne Kaijser 1994)

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Flows

• Some perspectives on infrasystem flow
• Basic function energy, water, waste, information
• Constituent parts electrons, photons, water
  molecules, bikes, cars, lorries, food scraps,
  cans, mail items, people, goods
• Continuous flows water, electricity, district
  heating, gas
• Discrete flows mail delivery, public transport,
  waste removal (when the demand is too
  small for continuous operation)

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Infrasystems are socio-technical systems

• Infrasystems should not only be treated as sets
  of technical components they also include the
  people and organisations that plan, build, run
  and use the systems, and the economic and legal
  conditions for the activities. (Arne Kaijser
  1991 1994)
• From a socio-technical perspective,
  infrastructure should be understood as a seamless
  web of technical, economic, institutional, social
  and political aspects. (Thomas P. Hughes
  1983, Guy and Marvin 2001)

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Socio-technical revolutions an example

• First public railway Stockton Darlington,
  1825
• Organised as traditional canal traffic
• bring your own vehicle
• pay the fee
• have a nice trip!
• result gt congestion, low profits, general
  chaos

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...example (cont.)

• Second public railway Liverpool Manchester,
  1830
• A brand new organisational set-up, and ownership
  relations
• check the time-tables
• pay for the ticket / goods fee
• have a nice trip!
• result gt smooth operation, economies of scale

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Evolution of infrasystems
? ?
Invention Technology System growth
Momentum Decrease in momentum transfer
Establishing phase Expansion phase
Stagnation phase
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Establishing phase

• The phase of inventors, entrepreneurs, risk
  capitalists, and large important, potential
  consumers or interested parties
• Actor networks

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Expansion phase

• ... is characterised by common confidence in the
  system and its future growth
• system culture a common view upon what is
  rational and desirable
• momentum the systematic interaction of people,
  ideas, technology and institutions, leads to the
  development of a socio-technical force with
  movement and direction
• inertia it is hard to decide on something that
  is not in line with the current system culture
• load factors

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Load factors (expansion phase)

• load factor the ratio of average output to the
  maximum output during a certain period
• High load factors, but also smooth load curves,
  are desirable
• The load factor is, probably, the major
  explanation for the growth of capital-intensive
  technological systems in capitalistic,
  interest-calculating societies (Hughes 1989)

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Stagnation phase

• momentum decreases
• market saturates
• competition from new systems
• environmental problems
• gt steady-state, or decline

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Overview
Infrasystems
Users / consumers
technicalcomponents
environment
economy
householdsorganisationsenterprisesbuildings
society
deliver
institutions
socialissues
services
legal prerequisites
politicaltrends
socio-technicalaspects
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The Nature of Infrasystem Services

• Infrasystems deliver service, or have service in
  readiness, in order to produce utilities or
  conveniences, fulfilling the needs of
  individuals, households, enterprises and
  organisations.

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Some perspectives on service, utilities,
conveniences, and needs

• Practical services, to sustain a comfortable
  living, e.g. personal hygiene and indoor climate
• Symbolical services, social or demonstrative,
  supporting a certain life-style, e.g. large
  expensive vehicles
• Aesthetical services, conveying feelings of
  well-being to individuals, e.g. design details of
  buildings, interiors and equipments or taking a
  hot bath not primarily to get clean but for the
  pleasure
• (Örjan Svane 1999)

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A metabolic perspective

• To nourish, which embraces all processes and
  goods to produce and consume food.
• To clean, including all processes to maintain
  human health, e.g. personal hygiene and sewage
  treatment.
• To reside and work, which comprises all processes
  set up to erect and maintain the built
  environment, also including, for example,
  recreation facilities and furniture.
• To transport and communicate, which embraces all
  processes involving transportation of people and
  material and exchange of information.
• (Baccini and Brunner 1991)

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Needs of Maslow (1954)

• physiological (e.g. food, water),
• safety (e.g. shelter, support oneself),
• belongingness (e.g. friends, family),
• self-esteem (sense of self-identity and
  appreciation from other), and
• self-actualization (sense of self-purpose and to
  be able to transform interest and wishes into
  practice).

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Needs(household perspective)

• infrasystem

service

• Personal hygiene health
• Food drink
• Indoor climate
• Indoor hygiene
• Making a living
• Personal improvement recreation
• Public services

utility, or convenience
need
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Whats the point of it?

• Approaching services and utilities, rather than
  technology and systems, might help us finding
  other ways perhaps more environmental friendly
  to fulfil our needs.
• Key words substitutions, synergies

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• daniel.jonsson_at_foi.se
• Jonsson (2000), Sustainable Infrasystem
  Synergies A Conceptual Framework, Journal of
  Urban Technology, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 81-104
• Jonsson (2005), The Nature of Infrasystem
  Services, Journal of Infrastructure Systems, Vol.
  11, Issue 1, pp. 2-8