Objective
Urban infrastructure represents a significant part of a country's real capital. The maintenance of this capital will be given increasing emphasis in the future because of several factors :
* The magnitude of the capital asset and its strategic importance;
* The need to target investment in rehabilitation with asset deterioration;
* Increasingly stringent requirements for reliability and performance in the context of regulation and public expectations.
The objective of the action is the improvement of diagnostic methods used for infrastructures and their relationship with buildings. This general objective relates to the scientific and technical, economic and social and, last but not least, environmental fields.
Strategy for diagnosis
* To review the current state of the art.
* To collate pertinent and quantifiable indicators relating to the functional performance of underground water and wastewater infrastructure.
* To identify needs and gaps in the area.
Mechanics of degradation
* To identify and review the processes of deterioration and associated factors.
* To review and assess methods for measuring structural and functional forms of deterioration.
* To assist the development of techniques and instruments to monitor the deterioration process.
Current status
The first meeting of the Management Committee, held in March 1995, was devoted to creating a better understanding among participants of the general platform and the different directions of research. At the time of writing nine countries participate in the Action (the latest being Portugal, which signed in October 1996) while a few others have expressed interest in joining the Action during the following year.
Initial work in the Action has concentrated on defining sub-projects, consultation between the different partners, and stabilisation of the contextual network and common understanding between members. During this period ad-hoc Working Groups have been operating.
An important key activity for the Action has been to develop a framework and approach to engage with a wider community of people who have active involvement and interest in the field. In this context, a COST C3 Workshop, "Urban Underground Water and Wastewater Infrastructure - Identifying needs and problems", was held in Brussels (B) in June 1996. This workshop was focused on the end-user perspective and experts from Europe were invited to present a general survey of the related knowledge and information already available and to form a platform for further activities in the Action. The Proceedings from the workshop will be published as a COST C3 publication.
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
Data not availableCoordinator
SN5 8YF Swindon
United Kingdom