The Infrastructure Book

How Cities Work and Power Our Lives

De: Sybil Derrible

Narrado por: Derek Dysart

Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet—all this infrastructure is what makes cities work and powers our lives, often seamlessly and silently. Virtually everything we do and consume depends on infrastructure. Yet, most people have no idea how these systems work. How is water treated? How do cities manage rainwater? Why do traffic jams exist? How is electricity generated and distributed? What happens to trash after it is picked up? How does the Internet work?

In The Infrastructure Book, world-renowned urban engineering expert Sybil Derrible reveals the behind-the-scenes machinations of the foundational systems that make our societies function. Visiting sixteen cities around the world and their unique approaches to organizational challenges—from water distribution in Hong Kong to waste management in Tokyo, and from Chicago's power grid to low Earth orbit satellites in space—this book uses case studies and historical detours to show how infrastructure works—and, sometimes, doesn't.

With large-scale infrastructure repairs looming and the need for existing infrastructure to be transformed, the book also shows how infrastructure can be more sustainable and resilient. After The Infrastructure Book, listeners will never look at a city the same way.

©2025 Sybil Derrible (P)2025 Tantor Media

Insightful and engaging!

If you think of infrastructure as a dry or overly technical topic, this book will offer you a refreshing new perspective. It offers an insightful and yet surprisingly engaging read. What sets this book apart is its compelling, almost novel-like storytelling. It takes you on a journey through time and across cities around the globe to discuss each infrastructure and its functioning. And, by doing so, it brings infrastructure to life and, very importantly, emphasize that infrastructure must always be people-centric.