<p>The aging water infrastructure system in the United States has posed considerable hindrance to policy-makers as they seek to provide safe, reliable, and clean drinking water for communities. The deterioration of the physical water infrastructure negatively affects the economics of water utilities and can lead to increases in water rates for consumers, so that utilities can recover the financial losses. However, the dynamics emerging from the interactions among changes in water service reliability, water-rates, consumer behavior (with respect to water consumption and willingness to support water-rate changes in response to changes in water rates, and water utility economics, are still unknown factors in the management of water infrastructure systems. </p> <p>The overarching objective of this dissertation is the creation and demonstration of the dynamics of coupled human and water infrastructure systems under conditions of water main breaks and water-rate increases. First, using water-main break data for a 21-year period from two U.S. cities in the Great Lakes region, the dissertation demonstrates a methodology to estimate the system-wide monthly frequency of water main breaks as a function of a number of explanatory variables. Using a random-parameters negative-binomial approach, the statistical estimations show that pipe diameters, average pipe age, distribution of pipe age, pipe material, time of year, and mean monthly temperature all have a significant impact on monthly water main break frequencies. The results can assist asset managers in quantifying the effect of factors may have on the likelihood of water main breaks, as well as in making cost-effective decisions regarding pipe renewal.</p> <p>Next, by incorporating qualitative survey data and using quantitative econometric methods, consumer behaviors in responses to the water-rate increases, and based on perceptions of water service reliability and quality in a Midwestern U.S. city was evaluated. Using a multivariate binary probit approach, the results provide insights as to how individuals are likely to respond to water-rate increases based on the reliability of current water services and the quality of the supplied water. The outputs of the econometric enable utility managers to better understand the behavior of consumers under different rate conditions and help water utilities in their long-term and short-term financial analyses.</p> <p>Finally, the aforementioned two components are integrated into the interdependency analysis to evaluate the interactive effects of features of the physical water infrastructure (pipeline characteristics, water and associated energy losses, and the revenue loss for water utilities) and the behavior of stakeholders (water utilities and consumers). The developed hybrid system dynamics and agent-based model examines interdependencies between the physical water infrastructure, the water utility, and the water consumers to explore possible emergent behavior patterns of water users during water rate increases over time. The model is demonstrated over the 2001–2010 period on a case study city with a large water distribution system that includes 4,000 miles of pipeline and nine water treatment plants serving a population of 863,000. This model was then verified and validated throughout the development of simulation models and included the following steps: 1) data validity, 2) conceptual model validity, 3) computerized model validity, and 4) operational validity. The results suggest the simulated behavior of the model was reasonable and the output of the simulation model regrading water main break frequency, amount of water and associated energy losses, generated revenue, and payoff periods for implementing proactive maintenance strategies had the accuracy required for the model’s intended purpose. </p> <p>The framework developed in this doctoral study can be applied to different size classifications of cities, as well as different classifications of utility companies (such as electricity and gas) by updating the parameters in the model to reflect the characteristics of the infrastructure system components. The distinctive methodological approach in this doctoral work could capture the emergent behaviors of human-water infrastructure interactions such as the impact of increasing water-rates on residential consumers, the impact of water price elasticity cascading into the water utility revenue, and the impact of residential consumers’ water consumption on water utility revenues. In conclusion, the results of this doctoral research can assist asset managers in understanding their systems, identify pathways for growing revenue through reducing non-revenue water and increasing water-rates, and implementing a proactive pipeline asset management program towards the provision for safe, reliable, and clean drinking water.</p>

The single biggest challenge facing municipalities today is a shortage of funds and labor for upgrading and expanding aging infrastructure. This continued lack of funding impairs the municipalities ability to maintain desired levels of service. Over the last decade, many Canadian municipalities have faced pressures of increasing complexity in infrastructure asset management decision-making which can be partly attributed to cost escalation, increasing service demand and interdependencies between networks. The goal of this research is to develop the framework for Asset Levels of Service (ALOS)-based decision support systems for municipal infrastructure network investment. The proposed framework is based on the fact that ALOS should be one of the main criteria for municipal infrastructure maintenance, repair and rehabilitation (MR&R). Since ALOS is based on qualitative and quantitative parameters, the use of ALOS in municipal infrastructure MR&R decisions will result in improved funding allocation. Secondary parameters used for municipal infrastructure investment decision making in the proposed framework are the physical deterioration of assets, future growth and the impact on the dependent infrastructure network. The proposed framework focuses on funding allocation for the MR&R of municipal networks. The framework is applicable to municipal infrastructure networks, excluding the other assets such as buildings, parks, etc. Application of the proposed framework is demonstrated by its implementation in the case of urban roads. Implementation is carried out in four phases. Phase I involves the quantification of ALOS for urban roads. Quantification of ALOS for urban roads has various challenges such as multiple users and interdependencies of levels of services between various users. An Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used to quantify ALOS. Phase II involves the determination of a multiattribute utility function for investment decision. Calculated multiattribute utility of investment decision is used in the multiobjective optimization model in Phase III. In Phase IV, the proposed methodology is incorporated into a computer application called OPTIsys (OPTImum Infrastructure SYStems). OPTIsys will facilitate MR&R decision making based on fully integrated considerations of ALOS, future demand and network interdependencies. Stakeholders benefiting from OPTIsys include the general public, asset-managers, infrastructure departments and municipal councils. OPTIsys will enable infrastructure departments to maintain the operational capability of the network in compliance with the targeted levels of service. Overall, municipalities will be able to reduce the infrastructure deficit while maximizing economic returns. / Construction Engineering and Management

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Although there have been warnings about the decline in the U.S. transportation infrastructure for the last two decades, the infrastructure's service condition remains barely above current requirements, and is insufficient to meet future demands of growth and economic development. This deterioration and obsolescence primarily derives from a lack of investment, inappropriate management, and growing travel demands. The objective of this research is to develop a model, using a system dynamics methodology, that serves as an instrumentality for generating scenarios for facilitating highway infrastructure management -- policy-making, planning, budgeting, and programming for the Virginia highway system. The Highway Management System (H~1S) model, developed in this research, is a system dynamics model equipped with capabilities for analyzing and solving the meta-problems related to highway infrastructure planning and management. The HMS consists of five subsystems: 1) Physical Subsystem (Pavement Management System, and Bridge Management System), 2) Evaluation Subsystem, 3) Functional Subsystem, 4) Financial Subsystem, and 5) Administration Subsystem. Through steady state analysis, an understanding of the relationship between state variables and decision variables can be obtained. The nomographs corresponding to the steady state solutions of the HMS are the analytically-based, manual means of gaining understanding by tracing paths from decision variables to state variables. Simulations were performed using the HMS, based on various budget-size and allocation scenarios for the I-81 corridor. The results indicate that the service condition of the highway will be diminished and will return to its pre-expansion condition in several years, if the maintenance budget is not increased according to the expansion. The HMS is a useful tool for decision-makers and engineers attempting to analyze and solve meta-problems related to transportation infrastructure management. The HMS presents a whole picture of the highway system according to various policy options. This systems approach to highway management also can be applied to the management of other infrastructure, and eventually it should be possible to achieve an integrated infrastructure management system. / Ph. D.

Cities, as key players in global sustainable development, are linked to challenges and opportunities driven by urbanization's resource consumption and environmental impacts. This context highlights the critical role of urban infrastructure in fostering sustainability, particularly the role of wire-based infrastructure systems (WBIS). The management, maintenance, and renewal of WBIS are vital to ensuring their long-term efficiency, yet they present challenges across technical, environmental, and societal dimensions. The positioning of these systems beneath urban streets introduces complexities, from accelerated wear to costly excavations, with a wide range of environmental consequences. Beyond the physical implications, the financial, policy, and management practices governing WBIS also contribute to their sustainable development challenges. This study, centered on Linköping's water network in Sweden as a case study, aims to unravel these multifaceted dynamics and answer key research questions regarding the management, challenges, influencing factors, and strategies for improving the maintenance and renewal of urban WBIS. Based on a mixed method approach, the case study utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, workshops, and data analysis. The results highlighted Linköping's UWI challenges, encompassing aging infrastructure, limited renewal rates, and financial constraints. To navigate these challenges, the discussion advocated for a shift towards proactive renewal strategies. The conclusions emphasized the need for an increased funding, strategic planning, proactive coordination among diverse stakeholders, and a balanced approach in budgetary allocations, particularly in considering maintenance and renewal alongside other activities, as crucial for ensuring the longevity and sustainability of the WBIS.

The increasing intensity and frequency of precipitation in recent decades, combined with the human interventions in watersheds, has drastically altered the natural regimes of water and sediment transport in watersheds over the whole contiguous United States. Sediment-transport related concerns include the sustainability of aquatic biology, the stability of the river morphology, and the security and vulnerability of various riverine structures. For the present context, the concerns are related to the acceleration of upland erosion (sediment production) and in-stream sediment-transport processes that eventually lead to sediment accumulation at culverts (structures that pass streams under roadways). This nuisance has become widespread in many transportation agencies in the United States, as it has a direct bearing on maintaining normal culvert operations during extreme flows when these waterway crossings are essential for the communities they serve. Despite the prevalence of culvert sedimentation, current specifications for culvert design do not typically consider aspects of sediment transport and deposition. The overall study objective is to systematically identify the likelihood of culvert sedimentation as a function of stream and culvert geometry, along with landscape characteristics (process drivers of culvert sedimentation) in the culvert drainage area. The ideal approach for predicting sedimentation is to track sediment sources dislocated from the watershed, their overland movement, and their delivery into the streams using physical-based modeling. However, there are considerable knowledge gaps in addressing the sedimentation at culverts as an end-to-end process, especially in connecting the upland with in-stream processes and simulating the sediment deposition at culverts in non-uniform, unsteady flows, while also taking into account the vegetation growth in culverts’ vicinity. It is, therefore, no surprise that existing research, textbooks, and guidelines do not typically provide adequate information on sediment control at culverts. This dissertation presents a generalizable data-driven framework that integrates various machine-learning and visual analytics techniques with GIS in a web-based geospatial platform to explore the complex environmental processes of culvert sedimentation. The framework offers systematic procedures for (1) classifying the culvert sedimentation degree using a time-series of aerial images; (2) identifying key process-drivers from a variety of environmental and culvert structural characteristics through feature selections and interactive visual interfaces; (3) supporting human interactions to perceive empirical relationships between drivers and the culvert sedimentation degree through multivariate Geovisualization and Self-Organizing Map (SOM); and (4) forecasting culvert sedimentation potential across Iowa using machine learning algorithms. Developed using modular design and atop national datasets, the framework is generalizable and extendable, and therefore can be applied to address similar river management issues, such as habitat deterioration and water pollution, at the Contiguous US scale. The platform developed through this Ph.D. study offers a web-based problem-solving environment for a) managing inventory and retrieving culvert structural information; b) integrating diverse culvert-related datasets (e.g., culvert inventory, hydrological and land use data, and observations on the degree of sedimentation in the vicinity of culverts) in a digital repository; c) supporting culvert field inspections and real-time data collection through mobile devices; and d) hosting the data-driven framework for exploring culvert sedimentation drivers and forecasting culvert sedimentation potential across Iowa. Insights provided through the data-driven framework can be applied to support decisions for culvert management and sedimentation mitigation, as well as to provide suggestions on parameter selections for the design of these structures.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AS A POLICY INSTRUMENT: THE CASE OF &Ccedil / ALBiR This dissertation assesses the nature and features of public-private partnerships in the case of &Ccedil / ALB&amp / #272 / R. In this study, the public policy literature (especially policy transfer, policy formation and implementation, and network approach) has been used to explain the policy process for the adoption of such a policy instrument. The findings of this study can be summarized as: Firstly, this study indicates that the selection of policy instrument- public private partnership- in the case of &Ccedil / ALB&amp / #272 / R was not neutral as the proponents of managerialism assert but it was ideological. Secondly, there occurred a democratic legitimacy problem for the establishment of public-private partnerships in &Ccedil / ALB&amp / #272 / R case when citizens in the elections elected a mayor who was against privatization. Thirdly, after the establishment of public-private partnership the steering performed by &Ccedil / ALBiR is not traditional command and control mechanism but instead it is managerial collaboration and persuasion mechanism. In addition, local government&rsquo / s working in accordance with managerial principles has brought about the elimination of public values. Lastly, this study shows that public-private partnership is not efficient enough due to compensation fee paid in early years, high operating expenses, and blurring of boundaries between public and private sector. Therefore, the main argument of this dissertation is that public-private partnerships as policy tools should be assessed case by case since so called characteristics of public-private partnerships such as efficiency, and equity may not exist as in case of &Ccedil / ALBiR.