Form, Flow and Function of Socio-technical Infrastructure Systems

Cities are growing at an unprecedented pace fueling the need for sustainable development. Transport, energy, buildings and waterways are some of the lifelines that provide people with a comfortable space to live, grow and innovate. Historically, these infrastructure systems have developed in a step-by-step, demand-oriented manner and are rarely designed to integrate. The unanticipated interdependencies across sectors and within systems and its users often exacerbate catastrophic damages. Public and Private sector organizations are starting to recognize the interdependent nature of such disruptions and calling for more inclusive development plans on longer timescales. However, the sustainability implications of continually developing infrastructure in cities are not well understood and a fundamental gap in knowledge still remains: What is the role of the morphology of cities in its traffic dynamics or population distribution? What strategies can help diffuse traffic in multiplex transport networks under duress? This talk will explore the core mechanisms behind the evolution of infrastructure systems and discuss the large-scale resilience of systems through the use of urban data, analytical methods and discrete and predictive modelling to inform urban policy. 

Trivik is a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the Future Resilient Systems lab and Dept. of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich. Trivik's research aims at understanding the vulnerabilities and interdependencies of urban socio-technical infrastructure systems to inform urban policy and planning for the future. Trivik holds a PhD in Computational Physics specialising in the Structure and Dynamics of Transport Networks from ETH Zurich. He is a National Geographic Fellow educating high school students about science and conservation in complex and remote environments around the world. He has also led research and development for a media and travel startup focussing on sustainability and now serves on the board.