Managing Technological Vulnerability of Urban Dwellers: Analysis, Trends, and Solutions

Lindsay J Robertson,Katina Michael,Albert Munoz

doi:10.1109/tts.2020.2975806

Abstract

Urban dwellers are increasingly dependent on technological systems to supply goods and services essential for their way of life. Such dependence incurs vulnerability in situations when these goods and services are not available. The systems supplying these essentials are known to have many loci of failure. We consider the exposure of a technological system in terms of the number and type of loci of failure and present this as a metric of urban dweller vulnerability. Such a metric captures the vulnerability to the nonavailability of the specific goods or services provided by a particular technological system. By selecting from goods and services commonly required, this article identifies a representative range of essential goods and services provided to urban-dwelling individuals by technological systems, and examines the nature and extent of exposure associated with each system. Based upon the descriptions of these technological systems, this article classifies the contributors to each technological system's exposure into a small number of categories. The analysis allows the inference of generalized approaches for reducing each category of exposure, and hence vulnerability. Thus, a theory of exposure can be used to inform engineering management approaches applicable to end-user vulnerability reduction, and to identify the feasibility of less exposed technological systems.

Highlights

IntroductionT HE PERSON living in a city apartment is generally not practically able to gather firewood and use it for cooking; he/she depends on a capability to purchase processed food and has little or no land for practical waste disposal
The dependence of urban dwellers upon technological systems has been noted, and we have shown that the number and nature of weaknesses in any such system is a measure of the vulnerability imposed on each end user
Since the first industrial revolution, urban dwellers’ dependence upon, and vulnerability to technological systems have steadily increased. These systems have been historically capable of supplying basic needs, in response to the growth of urban populations, these essential technological systems have grown in scale, complexity, and interconnectedness

Summary

Introduction

T HE PERSON living in a city apartment is generally not practically able to gather firewood and use it for cooking; he/she depends on a capability to purchase processed food and has little or no land for practical waste disposal. With the development of greater diversity in geographic, economic, and social categories, comes greater diversity in each group’s vulnerability to system failures. The persons living in a high-density urban setting are no exception, as they subsist under the regulatory constraints typical of a modern city. The urban dweller in a typical small city is dependent. Manuscript received October 30, 2019; revised January 26, 2020 and February 17, 2020; accepted February 18, 2020. Date of publication February 23, 2020; date of current version March 11, 2020. This article was recommended for publication by Associate Editor E.

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