This blog post examines the core role of infrastructure—such as ports, roads, railways, and power plants—by comparing it to human organs.
How does the human body function internally? To move, the body requires oxygen and glucose as energy sources. Oxygen is absorbed in the respiratory system, and glucose is absorbed in the digestive system. The absorbed oxygen and glucose travel through the blood vessels to the heart. The heart then pumps blood to the muscles, which require oxygen and glucose as energy sources. The muscles use oxygen and glucose to produce energy for movement.
Thus, basic human organs like the respiratory system, digestive system, heart, and blood vessels are essential for bodily activity. Let’s apply this to socioeconomic activity. Socioeconomic activities require structures like ports, power plants, roads, and railways, collectively known as social infrastructure. The Department of Global Environmental Systems Engineering is where students learn about the construction, maintenance, and development of such social infrastructure. Moving forward, we will use the analogy of the human body to briefly introduce each type of structure.
First, let’s examine the import of goods like oil, gas, and raw materials, and the export of products—one aspect of economic activity. Ports and airports are essential for receiving imported goods and exporting products. In the human body, these would correspond to the lungs and digestive system. Just as the lungs and digestive system take in oxygen and glucose necessary for the body, ports and airports receive oil, raw materials, and other items vital for economic activity. Ports, unlike typical buildings, require a deep understanding of the sea due to their geographical characteristics. Specifically, they demand analysis of waves and tidal ranges, which are crucial factors in port construction.
Second, let’s examine roads and railways among social infrastructure. Roads and railways can be likened to the blood vessels of the human body. Just as blood carries oxygen through the vessels to every corner of the body, materials essential for socioeconomic activities are transported via roads and railways. And just as arteries and veins connect to capillaries, roads and railways are interconnected through bridges and tunnels. Unlike other infrastructure, roads and railways extend across the entire nation in the form of thin, elongated lines. To construct such infrastructure, the ground conditions (the state of the underground strata) must be known. Due to their characteristic of extending thin and long across the entire national territory, roads and railways require ground surveys not just for specific areas but for vast regions. This inevitably lengthens the ground survey period, consequently extending the construction timeline. Furthermore, construction over such wide areas often leads to unexpected problems during the process. For instance, ground that was thought to be solid may turn out to be soft, or construction might halt due to environmental issues like salamander habitats.
When roads or railways are interrupted by mountains, rivers, or seas, bridges must be built or tunnels dug to connect them. Bridges can span mountains, rivers, and seas, and those crossing rivers or seas often become iconic symbols of their cities. Representative examples include Incheon Bridge in Incheon, Tower Bridge over the River Thames in London, and the Golden Gate Bridge in California. Tunnels primarily connect roads or railways by boring through mountains. However, as tunnel technology advances, undersea tunnels connecting continents to islands and islands to islands are also being constructed.
A prime example is the Eurotunnel (officially named the Channel Tunnel) connecting the UK and France. Furthermore, tunnel technology is significantly expanding its scope: creating subways to install underground public transportation systems, building underground malls to house shops, and even burying waste in underground spaces. Third, let’s examine power plants, another vital piece of infrastructure. Power plants generate electricity, the driving force of human life, and deliver it to cities.
This can be likened to the heart among human organs. The heart, as an organ that pumps blood—that is, delivers power—functions similarly to a power plant. Power plants include hydroelectric, thermal, nuclear, geothermal, tidal, and wind power plants. Thermal and nuclear power plants generate electricity by combusting materials, posing explosion risks, so stability is paramount in their construction. Nuclear power plants, in particular, carry the risk of radioactive release, so they are constructed to be extremely robust, structurally designed to withstand explosions. Hydroelectric power plants generate electricity by using water falling from a high elevation to a lower one to turn turbines, requiring dams to hold back the water. However, dams are increasingly avoided due to the ecological destruction caused by flooded areas. Instead of dams for hydroelectric power, dams are now primarily built for flood control and drought prevention. Geothermal, tidal, and wind power plants are environmentally friendly power sources that do not cause pollution. They are currently gaining prominence due to green growth policies and their environmental friendliness.
Beyond this, the Department of Global Environmental Systems Engineering encompasses all foundational activities for human social interaction, including urban planning, public transportation, transportation systems, and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Furthermore, as the construction of social infrastructure integrates with environmental engineering, eco-friendly technologies are being developed, making it a field that continues to hold great promise.
