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Creating resilient cities

Population growth, rapid urbanization and climate change put our urban infrastructure under pressure. Siemens’ technologies can help cities respond to these challenges with innovative solutions and our expertise in the areas of electrification, automation, and digitalization.

Introduction

Technology is key to building resilience

Stable economic development, comprehensive public safety, reliable infrastructure, sustainable and affordable housing – these are crucial factors enabling cities to thrive and grow. Cities depend on them to cope with population growth and urbanization across the globe.

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Resilient infrastructure is not an option. It is a must!

Roland Busch, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG

Facing the challenge

Urban infrastructure systems and their effective and reliable operation ensure delivery of energy, mobility, water, sanitation and information, on a daily basis and during unplanned or unforeseeable situations. Yet with an ever-increasing frequency, businesses and communities face emergencies such as extreme weather-related events. City leaders have to find a new way of thinking about how to plan, design, build and manage their cities under more challenging conditions.

Siemens enables cities to boost their resilience by bringing international know-how directly to city managers. Our task is to help urban areas become more resilient to the physical, social, and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. We work with public organizations as well as private companies in helping cities, their people, communities and institutions respond to the stresses and acute shocks caused by rapid urbanization, globalization, and climate change. For us, resilience is not only about surviving – it is also about thriving, regardless of the challenge.

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Infographic

Standing up to the test

When critical infrastructure, like power and water supplies, can continue functioning in times of emergency, it goes a long way in minimizing disruption and ultimately saving lives.

Water Management System

The Grid Electricity System

The Transportation Network

Building Systems

Water Management System

Water Management System

Water Management System

Water management in cities includes a number of critical and interrelated services:

  • 1. Collection, treatment & distribution of drinking water

  • 2. Removal, treatment and disposal or reuse of wastewater

  • 3. Removal, treatment and disposal or reuse of rainwater (stormwater)

  • 4. Protection of people and critical facilities from flooding.

The Grid Electricity System

The Grid Electricity System

The Grid Electricity System

Energy is fundamental for life in cities and is essential for water & wastewater treatment and distribution; train, tram and metro networks; communications; medical and emergency services; lighting, heating, ventilation and security.

The grid electricity system includes 3 primary activities:

  • 1. Generation,

  • 2. Transmission,

  • 3. Distribution and supply.

The Transportation Network

The Transportation Network

The Transportation Network

The transportation network is a highly diverse system, composed of fixed assets (roads, railways, bridges, ports) and moving parts (trains, buses, cars, boats and bicycles).

Both must be operational to enable the network to function also in case of emergency. Diversity provided by multi-modal services and systems can help during unexpected system outages. Successful navigation is facilitated by integrated travel information.

Building Systems

Building Systems

Building Systems

Buildings house the infrastructure required to bring energy and water to consumers, and provide the destination points for most transportation systems.

In emergency situations where buildings remain safe, structurally sound and energy supply is maintained, technology can help to maintain occupant comfort and distribute information about emergency response. To minimize large scale disruption in IT services, safe, resilient and energy efficient data centers are essential.

Water Management System

Water Management System

Water management in cities includes a number of critical and interrelated services:

  • 1. Collection, treatment & distribution of drinking water

  • 2. Removal, treatment and disposal or reuse of wastewater

  • 3. Removal, treatment and disposal or reuse of rainwater (stormwater)

  • 4. Protection of people and critical facilities from flooding.

The Grid Electricity System

The Grid Electricity System

Energy is fundamental for life in cities and is essential for water & wastewater treatment and distribution; train, tram and metro networks; communications; medical and emergency services; lighting, heating, ventilation and security.

The grid electricity system includes 3 primary activities:

  • 1. Generation,

  • 2. Transmission,

  • 3. Distribution and supply.

The Transportation Network

The Transportation Network

The transportation network is a highly diverse system, composed of fixed assets (roads, railways, bridges, ports) and moving parts (trains, buses, cars, boats and bicycles).

Both must be operational to enable the network to function also in case of emergency. Diversity provided by multi-modal services and systems can help during unexpected system outages. Successful navigation is facilitated by integrated travel information.

Building Systems

Building Systems

Buildings house the infrastructure required to bring energy and water to consumers, and provide the destination points for most transportation systems.

In emergency situations where buildings remain safe, structurally sound and energy supply is maintained, technology can help to maintain occupant comfort and distribute information about emergency response. To minimize large scale disruption in IT services, safe, resilient and energy efficient data centers are essential.

The grid electricity system

Avoiding power failure

Energy is the backbone of life in cities, affecting every area of their infrastructure. Water distribution, public transport, communications and medical services for instance all require a reliable and resilient energy supply – it is vital for communities and businesses alike. The overall energy supply in urban areas is diverse and comprises a number of sources and modes: ranging from centralized power plants, to oil and gas for heating, or local power generation and heat networks. However, if a distribution network is affected by severe weather events, millions of customers may lose power and be literally left standing in the dark.

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Remote monitoring and energy storage provide back-up supplies

Making urban electricity systems more resilient and sustainable calls for a shift towards distributed, automated and remotely controlled energy systems. Microgrid infrastructure, whereby small, independent electricity or heat grids distribute locally generated energy to nearby customers, can ensure a constant power supply even if the main power grid is under stress. In the event of a major catastrophe at a centralized plant or in the transmission network, microgrids could channel energy to critical services, such as hospitals and other emergency services.

Remote monitoring, the flexible integration of decentralized energy and energy storage devices present opportunities to increase the resilience of energy supply while at the same time improving efficiency and adopting cleaner sources of power. During extreme weather, like hurricanes or other major substation events, mobile resilience transformers can replace units within days rather than weeks. For example, Siemens is providing Con Edison, the utility that powers New York City and local areas, with compact, light and environment-friendly transformers. The mobile resilience transformers  allow Con Edison to respond to events in which multiple transformers are impacted and normal spares or system redundancy may not be able to address the issues.

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Transportation

Intelligent transportation networks

Mobility underpins the social and economic activity of any city around the world, making an unobstructed and sustainable transport infrastructure its lifeline. Yet despite most city transportation networks comprising a variety of mode and pathway options, many travelers and freight transport tend to depend on a familiar route. Add to this the reliance on stable energy and fuel supplies, transportation services are a highly sensitive and easily disrupted system. With recent evidence suggesting that the frequency and severity of extreme weather events will be increasing noticeably, special attention needs to be paid to cities’ transport networks. Intelligent systems that forecast and respond to the impact of damaging weather events can ensure that periods of disruption are minimized and long-term economic sustainability is not undermined.

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Secondary power supply

A secondary power supply for transportation networks enables trains to function through catastrophes that could disrupt grid functionality. The London Underground for instance is backed up by a separate power supply at Greenwich Power Station, which generates power specifically for the Underground. This back-up supply not only ensures trains running even through extreme weather events, but can also provide energy supply for more critical facilities, such as hospitals and evacuation centers.

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Real-time system monitoring

In times of crisis, coordination of transportation is essential. Co-location of system operators can enable instant, shared decision-making for active transport management, enhancing passenger service with fewer disruptions. This was proven by the Transport Coordination Center (TCC) of the 2012 London Olympic Games, where event delivery partners and transportation organizations shared a single control room to coordinate operations, track incidents, and manage service times and vehicle capacity.

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Automated system controls

In response to the chaotic evacuation of the Houston metropolitan area in Texas during Hurricane Ike, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications were developed as a pilot project. Intersections were equipped with a simple control system that dynamically alters the timing of traffic lights and uses Bluetooth signals to allow drivers access to real-time information on traffic volume, and also detect signals from emergency vehicles to turn green and facilitate rapid response.

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Building systems

Maintaining health, comfort and a constant information flow

Buildings provide essential shelter and structure while shaping the culture and physical character of the city. They are a crucial element of resilient infrastructures since they are the hubs that bring energy and water to consumers and provide destination points for most transportation systems. When equipping or modernizing buildings or entire cities to the highest standards of resilience, it is paramount to have a comprehensive understanding of hazardous and emergency situations in order to be able to react and evacuate safely and with the highest possible speed. Technologies have to be taken into account as much as the site and the design of buildings. Siemens provides a range of technology solutions that help to support the resilience of building systems, and ensure their ongoing functionality.

Disaster prevention and emergency evacuation

Taipei 101, a 101 story tower in Taiwan, sees 40,000 people pass through its doors each day. Fire prevention and emergency reaction plans have been of utmost importance since the start of construction in 2000, offering a ‘layered’ approach to fire safety and ensure rapid response in the event of a disaster. Among many other features, Taipei 101 is equipped with very early warning fire detection systems, smoke detection and expulsion systems and automated fire extinguishing systems, which are coordinated via a central disaster prevention center.

Advanced 3D simulation software

Yet a rapid response also depends on correctly assessing the behavior of building occupants during an emergency. This can be modeled prior to an event, using advanced 3D simulation software. The software enables movement through a building or space to be forecast up to ten times faster than real time with relative accuracy. Using this information, evacuation strategies may be planned and communicated to building users to ensure a rapid flow of people to safety. The approach has been implemented with a number of high rise buildings, including 1 Canada Square at Canary Wharf, which until 2012 was the tallest building in London.

Mass notification systems

In order to deliver targeted messages to advise building occupants during a crisis, Mass Notification Systems (MNS) can be implemented like for instance at Medicine Hat College in Alberta, Canada. Messages are disseminated through multiple redundant channels, including voice systems, LED signage and local area networks or even via personal devices such as cell phones. Systems inform occupants about what action they should take, therefore coordinating movement to facilitate safe and efficient response.

Securing information flows

Some of the most important features of Data centers are service reliability and data security. Built-in solutions protect against power supply interruptions, security and fire safety threats, and ensure that servers operate at the correct temperature. The Safe Host SA data center in Geneva, Switzerland for instance, features a central management system, over 800 smoke detectors and video surveillance at all major entrances.

Water management system

Ensuring a continuous water supply

Supplying drinking water and treating wastewater is a global challenge and critically important to all urban areas, particularly when keeping in mind the shortage of water we will face in the coming years. Through decentralized approaches, redundant infrastructure, automation and asset monitoring we can ensure a safe and continuous water supply, even in cases of irregularities, extreme weather or general water shortages. As industry experts for water applications, we offer powerful, innovative technical solutions.

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Decentralized wastewater treatment

The Food Chain Reactor (FCR) solution for urban wastewater management combines conventional treatment methods with biological treatment. It is a decentralized approach, which manages wastewater on a neighborhood scale and helps to avoid the risk of sewer overflows and burst pipes during severe weather. The FCR facility in Shenzen uses advanced automation to ensure reliable and efficient treatment of wastewater.

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Redundant infrastructure

In the event of drinking water supply outages, it may be possible to compensate for partial system failures without relying on an alternative water source. Redundant pipe connections and strategically placed valves make it possible to isolate damaged pipes and minimize the area of lost service. New York City and Cleveland, USA, for instance, both rely on system redundancy for their emergency water supply plan.

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Continuous asset monitoring

Engineered flood defenses are highly effective in designed-for flood events, but the impact of peak flood levels can be severely worsened if dams fail. By embedding a comprehensive system of sensors in the walls of defenses as implemented in Livedijk, flood management operators can continuously monitor the behavior of the structures, gain real time reporting and trigger alarms in the event of damage or failure.

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