Abstract
The functioning and resilience of modern societies have become more and more dependent on critical infrastructures. Severe disturbance to critical infrastructure is likely to reveal chaotic operational conditions, in which infrastructure service providers, emergency services, police, municipalities, and other key stakeholders must act effectively to minimize damages and restore normal operations. This paper aims to better understand this kind of operational environment resulting from, for example, a terrorist attack. It emphasizes mutual interdependencies among key stakeholders in such situations. The empirical contribution is based on observations from a workshop, in which participants representing the critical services and infrastructures in Finland discussed in thematic groups. Two scenarios guided the workshop discussions; nationwide electricity grid disruption and presumably intentionally contaminated water supply in a city. The results indicate that more attention should be paid to the interdependencies between critical infrastructures, as well as to the latent vulnerabilities hidden inside the systems. Furthermore, producing security seems to require continuous interaction and creation of meanings between extremely different actors and logics. This implies a need for changes in thinking, particularly concerning the ability to define problems across conventional administrative structures, geographical boundaries and conferred powers.
Highlights
Today, approximately half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and it is assumed that urbanization will accelerate so that only one third will live outside urban areas by 2050 [1]
The results indicate that more attention should be paid to the interdependencies between critical infrastructures, as well as to the latent vulnerabilities hidden inside the systems
Looking at urban environments and critical infrastructures as their central components, it can be seen that sustainability is linked to securing the preconditions of continuity and development
Summary
Approximately half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and it is assumed that urbanization will accelerate so that only one third will live outside urban areas by 2050 [1] This development raises a variety of challenges that impact the infrastructures, the reliable and effective functioning of which will determine how cities are able to respond to the demands of quality of life [2]. Some of these infrastructures are called ‘critical’ as societal well-being is fundamentally built on their reliability. Critical infrastructures provide people with access to a wide range of commodities, the availability of which is essential to the resilience of communities [6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
