December 10-11-12 in Barcelona
Urban Resilience Research Network (URNet) celebrates six years of leveraging its global network of scholars and partners to promote and co-organize the 11th International forum on Urbanism Conference. The conference will convene academics from different disciplines and policy leaders to discuss the most relevant research challenges related to urban resilience conceptualization and implementation.
Holling, C.S. “Engineering resilience versus ecological resilience.” Engineering within ecological constraints 31, no. 1996 (1996): 32.
‘Engineering resilience’ is not ‘resilience engineering’. One of the most common mistakes made by experts and newcomers is to use these two terms interchangeably as if they were same. Instead, each term refers to conflicting perspectives on what resilience means in engineered systems.
On 15 March 2018, a pedestrian bridge connecting Florida International University (FIU) to the nearby town of Sweetwater collapsed on top of traffic across a 6 lane roadway below. Six people lost their lives and ten others were sent to the hospital. The bridge, which was installed just 5 days prior to the collapse, was designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane. The 174 foot span concrete truss structure weighing 950 tons was built using the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) method.
Published by CBS News March 20,2018
MIAMI — Construction of the pedestrian bridge that collapsed and killed six people in the Miami area was behind schedule and millions over budget, in part because of a key change in the design and placement of one of its support towers. Documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public-records request show that the Florida Department of Transportation in October 2016 ordered Florida International University (FIU) and its contractors to move one of the bridge’s main support structures 11 feet north to the edge of a canal, widening the gap between the crossing’s end supports and requiring some new structural design.
Engineer flagged “cracking” in Miami bridge 2 days before deadly collapse
The span’s signature, 109-foot-tall pylon was to be built atop a footing, or base, at the northern end of the span. In addition to basic support, its design was also aimed at contributing to the aesthetics of the bridge, which itself was touted as an architectural marvel that would span a busy road and canal to connect the rapidly growing university to the nearby community of Sweetwater. In their winning 2015 proposal, designers said the bridge provided “spectacular views” for both pedestrians using the bridge and drivers passing beneath it. And they added that the tower could serve as a safety feature because it provided an “eagle-eyed location” for additional lighting and security cameras.
