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Infrastructures
Special Issues
Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures, 3rd Edition
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Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Infrastructures (ISSN 2412-3811).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2575

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bruno Barzellay Ferreira da Costa

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Guest Editor
Instituto Politécnico, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macaé 27930-560, Brazil
Interests: built environment; sustainable infrastructure; sustainable buildings; sustainable construction management; daylighting; smart cities; sustainable cities; MCDM techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Evangelista

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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Engineering Institute of Technology, 6-8 Thelma Street, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia
Interests: construction engineering; environmental engineering; sustainability in construction; concrete technology; structural analysis and non-destructive test; life cycle assessment of buildings and materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Assed Naked Haddad

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Guest Editor
Polytechnic School, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Interests: sustainable construction; risk management; smart buildings; comfortable buildings; building information modeling (BIM); life cycle sustainability assessment; environmental impacts; energy efficiency
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Dr. Diego A. Vasco

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago de Chile 9170020, Chile
Interests: building energy efficiency; building materials characterization; thermal storage; thermal envelope optimization; computational fluid dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Briga-Sá

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Guest Editor
School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, ECT-Polo I, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: buildings energy efficiency; thermal comfort; thermal performance analysis; near-zero energy buildings; passive solar design; sustainable construction; waste valorization as building materials; building materials characterization; sustainable materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The design, construction, operation, and maintenance of urban infrastructure are permanent activities that shape the built environment and impact the sustainability of cities as these are typically large projects and require a high degree of intervention. In recent times, infrastructure projects have been developed in an environment in which there is a growing demand from society and the production system for smarter, more sustainable, and more resilient cities. This development, combined with global challenges such as those imposed by climate change and the need for an effective energy transition, has accelerated urban growth and continued to transform the urban space and the progress of technology. All of these demands have intensified the need for new approaches and methods aimed at increasing the intelligence, sustainability, and resilience of urban infrastructure with optimization, simulation, decision making, and several other tools and methods being used to address these challenges. New features such as Industry 5.0, automation, and blockchain are key modern features included in recent studies and publications that are also expected to emerge in the design, planning, and operation of modern infrastructure.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to integrate the three complementary axes of intelligence, sustainability, and resilience through two key themes: the first focusing on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of design, construction, operation, monitoring, and maintenance processes; and the second focusing on improving infrastructure performance.

Contributions are welcome from academics, practitioners, and students from any discipline or country, and multidisciplinary contributions are encouraged. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

  • Infrastructure life cycle sustainability assessment;
  • Life cycle costing;
  • Infrastructure projects and works;
  • Sensing technologies, real-time data acquisition, and analysis;
  • Smart infrastructure management systems;
  • Building information modelling (BIM);
  • Building energy simulation (BES);
  • Cleaner and leaner production;
  • Smart and sustainable infrastructure project management practices;
  • Smart and sustainable design, construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning practices;
  • Sustainability indicators;
  • Methodologies and tools to reduce the environmental, economic, and social impacts of infrastructure projects;
  • Drivers for increasing the intelligence, sustainability, and resilience of infrastructure projects;
  • Green infrastructure;
  • Optimization, simulation, and decision-making methods;
  • Advanced design, construction, operation, and maintenance techniques;
  • Infrastructure safety;
  • Structural health monitoring;
  • Blockchain.

Dr. Bruno Barzellay Ferreira da Costa
Dr. Ana Evangelista
Prof. Dr. Assed Naked Haddad
Dr. Diego A. Vasco
Dr. Ana Briga-Sá
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Infrastructures is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • resilience
  • built environment
  • infrastructure
  • smart cities

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 6754 KiB  
Article
Assessing Drainage Infrastructure in Coastal Lowlands: Challenges, Design Choices, and Environmental and Urban Impacts
by Beatriz Cruz Amback, Paula Morais Canedo de Magalhães, Luiz Eduardo Siqueira Saraiva, Matheus Martins de Sousa and Marcelo Gomes Miguez
Infrastructures 2025, 10(5), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10050103 - 22 Apr 2025
Abstract
Urban flooding is a growing concern, particularly in coastal lowland cities where climate change exacerbates hazards through rising sea levels and intense rainfall. Traditional flood defenses like fluvial polders often exacerbate urban fragmentation and maintenance costs if poorly integrated into planning. This study [...] Read more.
Urban flooding is a growing concern, particularly in coastal lowland cities where climate change exacerbates hazards through rising sea levels and intense rainfall. Traditional flood defenses like fluvial polders often exacerbate urban fragmentation and maintenance costs if poorly integrated into planning. This study proposes a multifunctional assessment design framework to evaluate polder design effectiveness considering both the hydraulic and social–environmental dimensions, emphasizing blue–green infrastructure (BGI) for flood control, leisure, and landscape integration. Three design scenarios for Rio de Janeiro’s Jardim Maravilha neighborhood were modeled hydrodynamically: S1 (dike near urban areas, pump-dependent) and S2/S3 (dikes along the riverbank, gravity-driven). Results show S2/S3 outperformed S1 in storage capacity (2.7× larger volume), freeboard resilience (0.42–0.43 m vs. 0.25 m), and urban integration (floodable parks accessible to communities), though S1 had faster reservoir emptying. Under climate change, all scenarios sustained functionality, but S1’s freeboard reduced by 86%, nearing its limit. The framework’s standardized scoring system balanced quantitative and qualitative criteria, revealing trade-offs between hydraulic efficiency and urban adaptability. The optimized S3 design, incorporating external storage and dredging, achieved the best compromise. This approach aids decision-making by systematically evaluating resilience, operational feasibility, and long-term climate adaptation, supporting sustainable flood infrastructure in coastal cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures, 3rd Edition)
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34 pages, 2645 KiB  
Article
Novel Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Framework for Maritime Infrastructure Maintenance
by Ehidiame Ibazebo, Vimal Savsani, Arti Siddhpura, Milind Siddhpura and Poonam Savsani
Infrastructures 2025, 10(4), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10040089 - 7 Apr 2025
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Abstract
The maintenance of critical maritime infrastructure is essential for ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient operations of marine seaports. This paper proposes a novel fuzzy multi-criteria decision framework for evaluating the maintenance practices and culture of maintenance-critical maritime infrastructure, such as port loading [...] Read more.
The maintenance of critical maritime infrastructure is essential for ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient operations of marine seaports. This paper proposes a novel fuzzy multi-criteria decision framework for evaluating the maintenance practices and culture of maintenance-critical maritime infrastructure, such as port loading and unloading machinery and equipment. The proposed framework incorporates three distinct multi-criteria decision-making tools Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis, Weighted Aggregate Sum Product Assessment, and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. Fuzzy logic is incorporated into the framework to enhance the precision and robustness of the evaluation process. To form the basis of the assessment, the framework is structured around five key maintenance practice criteria: planning and scheduling; data collection and analysis; documentation and record keeping; maintenance personnel training; and competency, and four important maintenance culture criteria: leadership commitment, proactive and preventive approach, safety and compliance focus, and continuous improvement and learning. To validate the framework, an empirical evaluation was conducted, analyzing maintenance practices and culture across six Nigerian seaports. Data collection uses a questionnaire administered to relevant maintenance experts in the ports, ensuring a comprehensive and expert-informed analysis. The data collected was then analyzed using the fuzzy multi-criteria decision framework. The results provide valuable and actionable insights into the current maintenance practices and maintenance culture of the ports, identifying areas for improvement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures, 3rd Edition)
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23 pages, 4823 KiB  
Article
Flexible and Sustainable Incremental Houses: Advancing Semi-Volumetric Systems of Prefabricated Construction for Rapid Urbanization in Indonesia
by Viata Viriezky, Dalhar Susanto and Miktha Farid Alkadri
Infrastructures 2025, 10(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10010005 - 30 Dec 2024
Viewed by 922
Abstract
The Indonesian population is projected to increase by 66.65 in 2035 due to the continuous rise in urbanization globally. The growth contributed to the growing housing backlog and limited availability of residential spaces. This led to the evolution of incremental housing construction as [...] Read more.
The Indonesian population is projected to increase by 66.65 in 2035 due to the continuous rise in urbanization globally. The growth contributed to the growing housing backlog and limited availability of residential spaces. This led to the evolution of incremental housing construction as an appropriate solution to residents’ needs. However, several factors hinder the implementation of incremental housing, including prolonged construction durations that delay the completion of an entire house, compromised quality of workmanship and materials, as well as poor flexibility. Conventional on-site construction, with concrete serving as the main material, led to prolonged construction time, difficult renovation, and untreatable waste. Preliminary studies have been conducted on incremental housing from urban development and financial perspectives, with none on alternative construction systems. Therefore, this study aimed to develop flexible and sustainable incremental housing with an assembly–disassembly system capable of reducing construction time and waste. This study experimented on the connection systems through digital simulations and prototypes leading to a construction system that combines frames and panels in a semi-volumetric system. It also combined a plug-and-play connection type to achieve the highest assembly–disassembly efficiency value (0.07), the lowest waste (below 25%), and a 30% shorter construction time. The result showed no displacement when tested with a load of up to 3 tons. This study contributed to the growing body of knowledge on alternative incremental house construction techniques, paving the way for more adaptable and environmentally responsible housing solutions in urban settings, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions like Indonesia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures, 3rd Edition)
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