Deb Chachra, a material scientist and professor of engineering, discusses the importance of infrastructure and its impact on our daily lives. They emphasize the need for personal and collective appreciation of infrastructure, especially as climate change and negligence threaten existing systems. The podcast explores topics such as the benefits of a shared network for clean water, transitioning to sustainable infrastructure, and the potential of renewable energy technologies. It also highlights the importance of collective action in addressing complex issues like climate change and the role of writer friends in providing moral support during the writing process.
Reconnecting with and appreciating infrastructure is crucial for its functionality and to ensure the provision of essential resources.
The shift to renewable energy sources presents an opportunity to prioritize energy access and sustainable material management in infrastructure systems.
Collaborative efforts at all levels can drive change and create resilient, sustainable infrastructures.
Deep dives
Importance of Building and Appreciating Infrastructure
Building and appreciating infrastructure is crucial as these systems provide essential resources like air, water, food, shelter, and power. They often go unnoticed, hidden in plain sight. To ensure their functionality, it is necessary to reconnect with them, appreciate their importance, and reinforce existing infrastructure while building new ones that benefit everyone.
The Role of Energy and Matter in Infrastructure
The availability and access to energy and matter play a significant role in infrastructure systems. While energy provides agency and allows us to interact with the world, matter is limited and requires a focus on closing material loops. The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources offers the opportunity to provide energy access to all and prioritize sustainable material management.
Adapting Infrastructure Systems at Different Scales
The scale and complexity of infrastructure vary depending on location and specific systems. From neighborhood-scale sewage treatment plants to local geothermal networks, adapting infrastructures to different scales allows for efficient resource allocation and better distribution of benefits. Collaborative efforts at all levels, from individual actions to global coordination, can drive change and create resilient, sustainable infrastructures.
Taking Collective Action in Shaping Infrastructure
Building sustainable infrastructure requires collective action and collaboration. Recognizing that infrastructure systems are inherently collective and interdependent, it becomes important to work together to bring about transformative change. By taking actions based on individual capacities, such as supporting renewable energy sources, investing in efficient appliances, and advocating for resilient infrastructure, everyone can contribute to creating a better future.
Importance of Public Systems in Infrastructure
The podcast discusses the importance of public systems in infrastructure and highlights the limitations of private systems. The speaker emphasizes that public systems have the potential to address externalities, mitigate harms, and prioritize the well-being of communities. The history of infrastructure reveals that many systems started as private but eventually became public due to the recognition of the collective benefits. The speaker suggests that as new systems are built, they should be public in nature, whether governmental or through mutual aid and co-op models.
Celebrating and Appreciating Infrastructure
The podcast emphasizes the need to celebrate and appreciate infrastructure in order to foster a greater understanding and connection to these systems. The speaker highlights how infrastructure can be made more visible and engaging, such as through visitor centers, tours, and interactive exhibits. By exposing people, especially children, to the inner workings of infrastructure, it can inspire curiosity and appreciation. The podcast also raises the importance of maintaining and improving infrastructure to ensure everyone has access to essential services and to avoid system failures. Balancing visibility and appreciation with the goal of making infrastructure seamless and reliable is seen as a key objective.
Every single one of us needs air, water, food, shelter, and energy. So why are the infrastructure that provides them, the systems we are most reliant on hidden in plain sight?
How can we reconnect with them, appreciate them, rebuild them, reinforce the ones we already have, and build new ones that actually benefit everyone?
Those are today's big questions, and my guest is Deb Chachra.
Deb is a material scientist and professor of engineering at Olin College of Engineering. She has studied bones, and heart valves, and infrastructure. Wired said reading her newsletter, Metafoundry, was like being plugged Oculus-style into her brain while she meditates on science and culture. Deb also writes a recurring column, Reinvention, in the American Society for Engineering Education's PRISM magazine.
Deb's wonderful new book, How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems That Shape Our World is out on October 17th in the U.S.
And it couldn't be more timely as the truly incredible infrastructure of the 20th century, and the centuries before that, are coming under threat now from climate change and negligence and the awareness of the inequities behind them.
It's more vital than ever that we develop a personal appreciation and a collective appreciation for how we got here.
