Rikhtegarnezami, Maryam (2025) Bridging minds for building the future: Facilitating inter-organizational collaboration for next-generation infrastructures. PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.
Abstract
Next-generation infrastructures are needed to cope with multifaceted demands of our rapidly evolving world. Technological progress, societal needs, and sustainability goals all need to be accommodated. Future infrastructures must integrate a variety of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), renewable energy systems, and smart materials to create more efficient and interconnected networks. The networks need to be designed so that they can accommodate to meet the rising connectivity demands while also supporting environmental sustainability. However, their development is loaded with challenges. Infrastructure operators play a crucial role in balancing the diverse and often competing demands and requirements for infrastructures and their services. The complexity of the task highlights the importance of strategic decision-making in infrastructure design, as these decisions can significantly shape societal outcomes. With the increase in urbanization, next-generation infrastructures are expected to optimize transportation, facilitate the creation of smart cities, and enhance the overall quality of life. Additionally, they must ensure resilience against disasters and cybersecurity threats. Furthermore, investments in these infrastructures can boost global competitiveness, attract innovation, and drive economic growth. Nevertheless, addressing the needs of a technologically advanced and interconnected world requires a careful consideration of societal impacts and a balanced approach to sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. Infrastructure encompasses essential systems including physical constructs like roads, bridges, and utilities, as well as intricate socio-technical networks such as telecommunications grids. Infrastructure sectors were traditionally managed in relative isolation. However, the evolving landscape of societal needs, environmental dynamics, and technological advancements demand increased recognition of the interconnected nature of current day infrastructures, as assets increasingly influence each other. Recognizing these interdependencies is crucial for effective design and management of future infrastructures under a variety of conditions which include crises and infrastructure failures. Failures in one infrastructure can cascade to others. Asset managers who operate independently with their own specific way of working, must increasingly work closely together to design and operate these interconnected systems. This collaborative approach is essential for designing and managing the next generation of infrastructures to ensure their stabile and resilient performance...
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Bakker, H L M; Hertogh, M J C M and de Bruijne, M L C |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | infrastructure; inter-organizational collaboration; asset management; resilience; socio-technical systems; next-generation infrastructures |
| Index terms: | manager, connectivity, asset management, smart material, quality of life, decision-making, collaboration, telecommunication, socio-technical system, infrastructure sector, complexity, environmental sustainability, efficiency, renewable energy system, urbanization, socio-technical, smart city, utilities, dynamics, competitiveness, internet, economic growth, artificial intelligence |
| Subjects: | asset management, networking, market analysis, health safety and environment, research methods, economic development, theoretical framing, urban planning, practitioner, materials science, construction type, systems engineering, industry analysis, decision analysis, public and environmental health, performance management, management, artificial intelligence, energy systems, communication, urban sustainability, computing systems |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Engineering Principles, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Risk Management, Digital Applications, Urban Studies, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Construction Materials, Business Strategy, Construction Technology, Governance, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here