INFRASTRUCTURE ECOLOGY: AN

EVOLVING PARADIGM FOR

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Pandit, A.; Bras, B.; Minne, E. A.; Dunham-Jones, E.;
Augenbroe, G.; Jeong, H.; James, J.-A. C.; Newell, J. P.;
Weissburg, M.; Brown, M. A.; Chang, M. E.; Xu, M.;
Begovic, M. M.; Yang, P.; Fujimoto, R. A.; French, S. P.;
Thomas, V. M.; Yu, X.; Chen, Y.; Lu, Z.; Crittenden, J. C.
E-Mail: john.crittenden@ce.gatech.edu; Arka.Pandit@gatech.edu

City

Q: With the next

generation of
infrastructure, what
are the implications
if we design, build,
and operate these
systems separately,
as we have done in
the past?

People

Economy
Transportation
Energy
Water
Waste
Buildings
Parks
Industry
Government
And many
more

INFRASTRUCTURE
ECOLOGY

Sustainable Urban Systems

Sustainable Urban Systems: Key questions
How are energy, materials, information, and water utilized by the

different configurations and populations of systems?

How can we reduce energy, emissions, materials and water inputs

and increase the creation of wealth and comfort?

How do communities of infrastructure emerge from the cultural,

physical, and economic conditions of the region?

Infrastructure Ecology:
A Hyper Nexus of material use, water, energy,

transportation, land use/planning, commercial and

residential buildings, community design, and
socioeconomics as they occur in urban
environments.

Increasing Spatiotemporal Scale

Interconnection between Urban Infrastructure

System , Natural Environmental Systems and
Socio-Economic Systems

Interconnections within Urban

Infrastructure Systems
Water for Energy:
Average consumptive use in US: 2.0 Gal/kWh

0.5 Gal/kWh for thermoelectric; 18.0 Gal/kWh for hydroelectric

Energy for Water:

4% of total electricity consumption in US for water and wastewater sector;
19% in California

80% of the requirement is for conveyance and distribution

Energy for Transportation:

28% of the total energy consumption in the US (in 2008)
Transportation and Land Use:
Empirical estimates suggest that one new highway built through a central
city reduces its central-city population by about 18%.
Land Use, Water and Energy:
Use of rainwater harvesting and other LID techniques in the urban area of
southern California would result in a savings of 5731225 GWh per year.

Interconnections within Urban

Infrastructure Systems
Water for Transportation:
Impact of Biofuels

The water footprint for biofuels may

be 10 to 1000 times higher than

conventional gasoline on a life-cycle
per vehicle mile travelled basis
depending on whether the feedstock
crops are irrigated or not

Impact of Automobile Electrification

If all personal transportation in the

metropolitan Atlanta, GA region was

electric, the increased water demand
(evaporative loss) needed to produce
the electricity (under present generation
mix) to charge the fleet of electric
vehicles would be almost identical to the
current domestic demand (estimated at
100 million gallons per day)

False Creek Neighborhood Energy Utility

Vancouver, BC: City of Vancouver
Sewage heat recovery supplies
70% of annual energy demand
and reduces ghg 50%

IMPLICATIONS FOR
DECISION MAKING

Sustainable Water Resources Management

Agriculture

Ecology / Environment

Energy

People (Municipal &

Industrial)

Key Challenges in Infrastructure Ecology

(After Allenby 1999)
Characteristics

Engineering (e.g., Water

Treatment Plant)

Sustainable Engineering
(e.g., Sustainable Water
Resource Management)

Goal

Home run-fix problem

for good

Maintain dynamic
systems in desired states

Focus

Artifact design,
construction &
performance

Systems dynamics: links,

feedback, loops,
nonlinearities & discontinuities

Control & complete

systems definitions

Management of complex
"non-controllable" systems

Engineering
psychology
Nature of
Engineered system

Primarily
technical and economic

Coupled human-natural
systems

Impact awareness

Low

High

Scale

Short term/Local

Long term/Regional or global

Scientific
Model
Technology
adaptation

Reductionist
(e.g., based on toxicology)

Minor adaptation

Integrative(e.g., based on
sustainability)
Major evolution of social
13
and technology
systems

ADVANCING THE SCIENCE OF

INFRASTRUCTURE ECOLOGY:
ENGINEERING COMPLEX SYSTEMS

Engineering Complex Systems - Our

Goals
Understand and predict the emergent properties of urban
infrastructure systems and their resilience to internal and external
stressors
Identify how flows of resources (information, energy, and materials)
are utilized within complex urban systems and reduce material and
energy investments by learning how these resources are utilized on
a system-wide scale
Develop the cyber infrastructure to gather information monitor,
model and visualize the complex emergent properties
Integrate the human perspective into urban infrastructure to
produce socially sustainable outcomes and policies

Develop the pedagogy of engineering complex systems in the

context of sustainable and resilient urban infrastructure

Interactions between Infrastructure and

Socio-Economic Environment
Macro

Emergent Properties: land use, water, energy and material

consumption, transportation quality, quality of life, and other
sustainability metrics.

Jobs

Water
Energy
Heating/
Cooling

Infrastructure
Systems

Transportation

Micro

SocioEconomic
Environment

Business
Neighborhood
Housing

Decisions, behaviors of Individual Agents and the relationship

of individual agents: location choice, traffic activity, and
willingness to pay

Agent-based Modeling: Simulating the Adoption Rate

for More Sustainable Urban Development
100%

Business As Usual
(BAU)

80%

Principal Agents: Prospective

65%

60%
40%

35%

20%
0%
0

10

15
Year

20

25

30

Percentage of households as compared to total households after

30 years
Percentage of households in single-family houses as compared
to total households after 30 years
Percentage of households in apartments as compared to total
households after 30 years
100%

More Sustainable Development

(MSD)

80%

Homebuyer, Homeowners, Developers,

Government

Implemented Policy Tool

Impact fee for Low Impact Development
non-compliance penalty:

Policy Implementation Effect

After 30 years:

60%

59%

40%

41%

20%

0%
0

10

15
Year

20

25

30

$13,000 per unit for single-family

house
$1,500 per unit for apartment home

40% reduction in potable water

demand from centralized plant in MSD
as compared to BAU
36% increase in net property tax
revenue generation in MSD as
compared to BAU

INFRASTRUCTURAL SYMBIOSIS:
REORGANIZING THE FLOWS FOR
SYSTEM LEVEL OPTIMIZATION

The Synergistic Effects of

Infrastructural Symbiosis
Designing UIS using an infrastructure ecology approach alters and

reorganizes energy and resource flows, allowing one to consider the

potential synergistic effects arising from infrastructural symbiosis.
The accumulated synergistic

effects of this particular model of

infrastructure ecology is significant:
reduced water and energy

consumption,
lower dependence on centralized
systems,
larger share of renewables in the
electricity mix,
reduced vehicle-miles travelled, &
an increase in tax revenue.

INFRASTRUCTURE SYMBIOSIS
Decentralized Water Resource
Development: Low Impact
Development & Greywater Reclamation

Water Flows within the Urban System with

LID Implementation: Case Study of Atlanta, GA
Individual water use (91 Gpcd) in 2-story apartment (RG-1)
Implemented LID technologies: rainwater harvesting, grass pavement,

rain gardens, and xeriscaping

Reduces dependence on the centralized potable water system by ~50%
(entire non-potable demand)
Uncontrolled Stormwater runoff (kGal/cap-yr) : 16 0

Unit: Gallon per capita per day (Gpcd)

Water Flows within the Urban System

with Reclamation Option: Case Study of
Atlanta, GA
Individual water use (91 Gpcd) in 2-story apartment (RG-1)

Implementation of Greywater Reclamation : Case

Study of Atlanta, GA
Benefits:
60% satisfaction of residential water demand regardless of
population density
Reduces dependence on the centralized potable water system by
~60% (entire non-potable demand)
Reduces stress on the centralized wastewater treatment plant by
~60%
Citywide implementation of Hybrid (Reclamation + Centralized)
System would save the city ~$1.0 million per year in energy
costs.
Challenges:
Has no effect on stormwater runoff
Does not increase ecological services

INFRASTRUCTURAL SYMBIOSIS
Decentralized Energy Production:
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

Recapturing Lost Heat in Combined Heat &

Power System
Heating
Cooling

Air-cooled
Microturbine

Electricity

Absorption
Chiller

Building Energy Requirements Met by

CHP Using Air Cooled Microturbines
Electricity:
260MWh (34%)

2 6-story
apartment
buildings

985300 Gal
(66%)
Thermal: 900
MWh (140%)

60kW
MT

Grid
Energy

Water for
energy
savings

Electricity: 778
MWh (66%)

Thermal load includes heating and cooling demand

Electricity:
218MWh (46%)

12 Single
Family homes

437600 Gal
(54%)
Thermal:
452.5 MWh
(123%)

30kW
MT

Electricity:
477MWh
(54%)

INFRASTRUCTURAL SYMBIOSIS
Decentralized Energy Production:
Integration of Renewables and Vehicleto-Grid (V2G)

Simulation Results in Hourly

Resolution

NO-PV

The large variation in PV output

demands a higher capacity of
spinning reserves

40% PV

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)

and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) power
PHEVs can send power back to the grid when parked, and function as distributed
storage for intermittent energy from renewable sources

Credit: Kempton and Tomi, 2005

US demand-supply balances during

maximum demand with various V2G
ratios in 2045

30% V2G penetration could reduce ~100 GW or about of the total peak
demand of ~300 GW in US by 2045
Source: Modelling Load Shifting Using Electric Vehicles in a Smart Grid Environment OECD/IEA 2010

URBAN DEVELOPMENT
SIMULATION AND LARGE SCALE
WATER SAVINGS CARBON
EMISSION REDUCTIONS FROM
LID AND CHP

SPATIAL DATABASES FOR

The

URBAN MODELING - 1

SMARTRAQ project

Supports research on land

use impact on transportation
and air quality

1.3 million parcels in the 13

metropolitan Atlanta non-

attainment counties

RESIN Meeting Sept. 24, 2009

SMARTRAQ

DATA AND ATTRIBUTES

Land Use Type

Number of Units
X,Y Coordinate

Estimated Sq Feet
Total Sq Feet

Address
Road Type
City
Zip Code
Owner Occupied
Commercial/Residential
Zoning
Sale Price
Sale Date
Tax Value
Assessed Value
Improvement Value
Land Value
Year Built
No. of Stories
Bedrooms
Parking
Acreage
RESIN Meeting Sept. 24, 2009

Projected Growth Scenarios for Atlanta

Business As Usual
Year 2030

More Sustainable Development

Year 2030

Atlanta Energy and Water Demand Projections

(with low flow fixtures + rooftop rainwater harvesting + decentralized CHP system)
More Sustainable Development Scenario
160

6000

Energy (Thermal)
140

Energy(Electricity)

Withdrawal
728.5

GWh (in thousands)

25% reduction
100

80
66
60
110
40

20

MGD (Million Gallons per day)

24

Evaporation
600

5000
120

700

107.75
500
4000

61% reduction

63% reduction

400

3000
300

4964

496.40

2000

706.85

1000
1521

107.58

200

100
152.10

34
0

Energy from
Grid with CHP

Energy from
Grid

Residential+ Commercial Energy

Demand
(with Air Cooled Microturbines in a
Decentralized CHP system)

Energy from
Grid

Energy from
Grid with CHP

Water Demand
(Withdrawal)

Energy from
Grid

Energy from
Grid with CHP

Water Consumption
(Evaporation)

Note: water for energy calculation does not include water needed for the extraction and transportation of the raw fuel.

Potential GHG and Cost Reductions in 2030

By 2030, implementation of CHP in all the residential and commercial buildings (new and
existing) will reduce the CO2 emissions by~ 0.04 Gt CO2. and the energy costs by $1.1 billion
per year for the Metro Atlanta region.
Emissions(Electricity)

Emissions (Thermal)
6

7000
6,211

6000

-23%

70

-45%
60
50
40

78
22

30

20
24

Cost of Energy from the Grid ( $/year)

CO2 Emissions (106 tons CO2)

80

10

Millions

90

5,051
5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
Energy from Grid with CHP

Energy from Grid

CO2 Emissions

Energy from Grid with

CHP

Energy from Grid

Energy Costs

The costs reduction calculation is only based on the cost of natural gas and the cost of electricity from firms in the
region.
The 2030 grid+CHP scenarios assumed residential and commercial units in the base year were also retrofitted with
CHP systems

SUMMARY

Summary
Urban Systems Are All Connected and More Efficiency

Can be Achieved by Looking at Their Interactions

Decentralized Energy and Combined Heat and Power

Can Save Energy and Water

Decentralized Water / Low Impact Development Can

Save Water, Energy and Money

Land Use/ Planning Is Vital in Reducing the Impact Of

Urban Systems and Examining Their Interactions

Agent Based Models May Be Useful to Examine the

Adoption Rate of Policy Instruments

decentralized

scalable
integrated

disconnected
limited

centralized

Pedagogical Implications
Emphasis on Systems Analysis
Instead of designing urban infrastructure one component at a time,

the focus should be on systems analysis of urban infrastructure

Inter- and Intra-disciplinary Approach

Engineering alone cannot achieve the goal of sustainable urban

infrastructure systems. It should include policy analysis and urban

planning as integral part of the educational focus.

Complexity Science
Complexity science, in particular how it relates to urban systems,

should be explored in more details to learn about the emerging

properties that are not apparent otherwise.

Resources and Upcoming Event

Center for Sustainable Engineering: Learning

Modules and Assesment of Sustainable Engineering

Education in the US
Call for Papers: First ASCE International Sustainable

Infrastructure Conference Nov 6-8, 2014 Long Beach

California http://content.asce.org/conferences/icsi2014/index.html

THANK YOU!!
john.crittenden@ce.gatech.edu
www.sustaianble.gatech.edu