How Infrastructure Works

Inside the Systems That Shape Our World

By: Deb Chachra

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2023 BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Revelatory, superbly written, and pulsing with wisdom and humanity, How Infrastructure Works is a masterpiece.” —Ed Yong, author of An Immense World

A new way of seeing the essential systems hidden inside our walls, under our streets, and all around us

Infrastructure is a marvel, meeting our basic needs and enabling lives of astounding ease and productivity that would have been unimaginable just a century ago. It is the physical manifestation of our social contract—of our ability to work collectively for the public good—and it consists of the most complex and vast technological systems ever created by humans.

A soaring bridge is an obvious infrastructural feat, but so are the mostly hidden reservoirs, transformers, sewers, cables, and pipes that deliver water, energy, and information to wherever we need it. When these systems work well, they hide in plain sight. Engineer and materials scientist Deb Chachra takes listeners on a fascinating tour of these essential utilities, revealing how they work, what it takes to keep them running, just how much we rely on them—but also whom they work well for, and who pays the costs.

Across the U.S. and elsewhere, these systems are suffering from systemic neglect and the effects of climate change, becoming unavoidably visible when they break down. Communities that are already marginalized often bear the brunt of these failures. But Chachra maps out a path for transforming and rebuilding our shared infrastructure to be not just functional but also equitable, resilient, and sustainable. The cost of not being able to rely on these systems is unthinkably high. We need to learn how to see them—and fix them, together—before it’s too late.

©2023 Deb Chachra (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Essential. . . . a passionate argument for the political necessity of functioning infrastructure.” —Annalee Newitz, The Washington Post

"This book articulates something of a philosophy of infrastructure: both a convincing call for us to think harder about these systems and a road map for how we might do so productively. . . . Chachra’s vision is positive, even galvanizing." —The Atlantic

“As the world deals with climate instability, Chachra offers a vision of inclusive design that reimagines what communities can become. Writing with enthusiasm and clarity, Chachra explains complex systems and human dynamics in this approachable, informative study of the world around us.” —Booklist

Mistitled

From the title you might expect to learn some interesting technical intricacies about infrastructure, or perhaps important but easily overlooked details about infrastructure.

That’s not what this book is about.

Instead it’s a call to reimagine infrastructure to make it more equitable and sustainable for the centuries to come. Few details are given on how to achieve this vision, although the author places a lot of weight on global public sector collaboration and the exclusion of private investment.

The goal is very laudable but the lack of realism in how to achieve it leaves the reader disappointed.

Intelligent and Thoughtful

The author makes an excellent argument on what societies need to do to preserve and enhance the human condition. Even the technological “how” is well-presented. The sociological “how” left me more pessimistic than the author, I think, intended.

nothing new to say

Less about infrastructure itself, more a tedious rant about issues most of us are already familiar with and no attempt to propose solutions or different ways of approaching the problems.