Towards a new taxonomy of infrastructures: implications for resilience

Socio-ecological systems experience cascading effects across multiple infrastructure levels during disaster response. These effects often involve not only a shift in the use of certain infrastructures, such as switching from highways to secondary roads, but also a repurposing of existing infrastructures. For example, when an energy pipeline is blocked, energy delivery may shift to delivery by road transport. This flexibility is a key aspect of resilience and should be anticipated in resilience strategies. Traditionally, infrastructure taxonomies have been based on function. However, this paper proposes a new taxonomy grounded in structural commonalities, focusing on the concept of “linear transport” of essential resources - energy, water, and information - between nodes. All such infrastructures share the movement of goods, control mechanisms at nodes, and a driving force enabling transport. The proposed taxonomy distinguishes between infrastructures that move discrete elements along defined paths (such as roads and railways) and those that enable continuous flows (such as pipelines and power lines). Evidence from anthropology and archaeology supports this structural perspective. This novel classification provides a clearer understanding of infrastructure interdependencies and cascading effects, offering valuable insights for enhancing disaster resilience and response strategies.