Bhatta, A K and Shan, Y (2026) Exploring cascading failure dynamics in multi-infrastructure systems: Integrating network modeling and thematic insights. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(5): 04026037, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Interdependent municipal infrastructures, such as road, water, sewer, and drainage systems, form a complex network, in which a repair and maintenance (R&M) activity on an asset can trigger additional R&M activities in the same or colocated assets, ultimately impacting operational efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of the entire system. Most prior studies of integrated multi-infrastructure asset management failed to account for the interdependencies of R&M activities and their cascading impacts. This study used a mixed-method approach, leveraging social network analysis (SNA) to model the causal relationships between various R&M activities and using thematic analysis to capture municipal experts' insights into the causes and proactive best practices for addressing cascading failures. A total of 115 responses were collected through an online survey of experts working with municipalities. The results of social network analysis revealed that repairing a sinkhole in the street, repairing cracked and collapsed pipes, and digging up the main line to replace old pipes have a higher cascading effect and cause other R&M activities in the network. The thematic analysis yielded a comprehensive framework categorizing the causes of cascading failures into 6 overarching themes with 17 subthemes, and categorizing the proactive best practices for addressing cascading failures into 5 themes encompassing 19 subthemes. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a systematic approach to understanding and addressing cascading failures in multi-infrastructure systems, which will help decision makers develop more effective, evidence-based integrated asset management strategies. The framework developed in this study enables municipalities to proactively address vulnerabilities arising from the cascading failure, enhancing operational efficiency, long-term resilience, and sustainability of their infrastructure systems.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | cascading failure; infrastructure interdependencies; repair and maintenance; social network analysis; sustainability and resiliency; thematic analysis |
| Index terms: | municipality, body of knowledge, repair, infrastructure interdependency, drainage, network modelling, thematic analysis, evidence, vulnerability, survey, social network analysis, asset management, strategy, infrastructure asset management, sewer, best practice, dynamics, efficiency, cascading effect |
| Subjects: | knowledge management, evaluation and assessment methods, environmental hazards, asset management, networking, maintenance engineering, research methods, business, data collection methods, systems engineering, infrastructure and transport systems, administrative law, methods and analysis, performance management, management |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Legal Issues, Quality Management, Sustainability, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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