Efficacy in developing a Sustainable, Resilient, and Interdependent Infrastructure System in the Gulf Region

Abstract

The world is becoming increasingly interconnected, and the exchange of information, knowledge, and services assists in developing and managing many aspects of the built environment. Sustainable, resilient, and interdependent development of infrastructure emphasizes relationships among systems with benefits of creating one system-of-systems that includes enhancing the delivery of primary services, increasing systems efficiency in performing more than one function, exchanging benefits between systems, sharing information among systems, reducing carbon emission, eliminating waste, enhancing the operation of all systems, and reducing the cost of developing, managing, operating, and maintaining them. Infrastructure development in the Gulf region presents many challenges, such as excessive use of scarce natural resources, limited areas of development, and high cost of development, operation, and maintenance in each system. This study addresses the importance of developing a sustainable, resilient, and interdependent infrastructure system that can work with the natural processes and flows and respond to challenges specific to the Gulf Region. Its findings will guide decision-makers in the appropriate choices and the economic, environmental, and social opportunities in developing an integrated and efficient one-system network. Relationships between infrastructure systems, such as simple, colocation, or geographical relationship, and an integrated relationship in the Gulf region will be compared with other relevant international projects. Data from project-specific literature and case studies were used to carry out this study.