Impact of Urban Overheating on Critical Infrastructure

Affected by urban overheating (UO), urban areas are suffering more frequent thermal threats. This problem has severe environmental, economic, social and health consequences, where UO damages critical infrastructure (CIE) such as blackout, roads melting, and others. The disorder of the CIE under UO conditions can further aggravate the threats to public health. There is a need to take mitigation approach for an environmentally sustainable interpretation of CIE for in the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance processes. However, whilst there are some reports on the impact of UO on CIE, there is a lack of systematic understanding, particularly associated with the CIE development and management. Therefore, this study fills this research gap by analysing such impacts in transport, energy, water and emergency or healthcare services. This study further provides recommendations for future management of CIE, including the high-temperature-resistant design, the use of high-temperature-resistant materials and targeted follow-up maintenance and management based on CIs characteristics across studies. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the effect of UO on CIE, the suitability of various technologies to reduce the impacts and future perspectives. This review can be a start for researchers and practitioners to optimise CIE management, and in turn, improve urban wellbeing.