Urban lifelines are buried or aboveground network systems used for water, sewerage, gas, power, and telecommunications. Dedicated to preserving the functions of lifeline systems against natural disasters, the Critical Urban Infrastructure Handbook is a vital compilation of urban utility management. This text utilizes the input of leading experts who have extensive experience with natural disasters, and provides a better understanding of the technical and legal framework of infrastructure construction and operation.

Examine the Damage Data of Urban Lifelines Suffered by Seismic Disasters

The book addresses water supply and sewerage, power, gas, telecommunications joint utility corridor lifeline facilities, and other critical civil infrastructure lifelines. It emphasizes the importance of the resilience of lifeline systems against natural disasters in protecting human lives and supporting survivors of disasters as well as in promptly recovering and reconstructing the affected areas. In addition, it also describes the structural damage of nodes and links, as well as the functional damage of the lifeline system from the viewpoint of disaster prevention and mitigation measures.

This valuable work consists of 24 chapters in four sections covering:

• Design and construction of various lifeline facilities
• Maintenance
• Disaster management
• Environmental protection
• Disaster and emergency recovery measures
• Urban planning
• Life cycle costing
• GIS analysis of lifeline systems
• Computerized integrated management systems
• New materials and technologies

The Critical Urban Infrastructure Handbook comprehensively describes common issues of lifeline systems, and provides practical information to engineers and industry professionals involved in the planning, construction, and maintenance of lifeline systems.