Welcome to the website of the international conference on infrastructure systems 2009: Developing 21st Century Infrastructure Networks. The conference is sponsored by the Next Generations Infrastructures Foundation, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) and SSN College of Engineering.
Conference scope
Infrastructures provide essential functions for economy and society such as transportation, water, communication and energy. While each of these sectors has their own specific characteristics, they have much in common: their adequate operation depends on the effectiveness and interplay of complex physical and institutional or actor networks.
All sectors undergo institutional change, moving from state owned and controlled utilities to conglomerates of unbundled and privatized private companies, operating at increasingly larger and more international scales. Sectors converge and mutual dependencies increase, along both the technological and the institutional dimension. Technological change provides new opportunities as well as threats. Key concerns include reliability, security, affordability and sustainability.
The complexity of the infrastructure systems requires scientists of different disciplines to join forces to develop and test theories, models and tools to ensure that the infrastructures of the future will function at their full potential. While many other meetings are sector-specific and narrow in focus, this conference offers a unique opportunity to bridge the gaps across disciplines and sectors, and to build cross-cutting networks to effectively steer infrastructure developments towards a more sustainable and secure future.
