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SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSIONS OF CUTTING-EDGE INFRASTRUCTURES. IN: MOVING PEOPLE, GOODS, AND INFORMATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE CUTTING-EDGE INFRASTRUCTURES OF NETWORKED CITIES

This chapter on the social and environmental dimensions of cutting-edge infrastructures is from a book on moving people, goods, and information in the 21st century. The author cautions that, unless viewed in a systems or holistic framework that considers a full spectrum of actions and their effects, introducing new technologies can have unanticipated consequences, impairing the very quality of life the technologies were designed to enhance. The author reviews a number of cases that illustrate how social and technological conflicts emerged in decisions about transportation and other infrastructures for the movement of people, goods, and information. The first set of cases pertains to the trade-offs in using specific chemicals (methyl tertiary butyl ether, diesel fuel, and lead) to promote transportation objectives; the second set of issues addresses unanticipated consequences of infrastructure decisions in connection with the development of distribution systems or networks. Finally, the issue of social equity is briefly introduced to underscore the need to understand the imbalances in the distribution of benefits and costs that can result from narrowly focused infrastructure decisions that ignore tradeoffs between economic advantages and environmental and other social factors.

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  • Corporate Authors:

    Routledge

    270 Madison Avenue
    New York, NY  United States  10016
  • Authors:
    • Zimmerman, R
  • Publication Date: 2004

Language

  • English

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00985110
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 0415281210
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jan 24 2005 12:00AM