ide3a: A Digital Campus for Transdisciplinary Research on Interconnected
Urban Critical Infrastructure Systems
Abstract
Urbanization and climate change are exacerbating stress on aging urban
critical infrastructure systems, including water, energy, mobility, and
telecommunication networks. Simulation tools and scenario analyses able
to capture the interdependencies among these different infrastructure
systems are crucial to support decision making and realize sustainable
and resilient development. Yet, existing simulation tools are mostly
developed within the boundaries of individual application sectors and
information often remains siloed, despite the increasing data and
computational opportunities offered by the digital transformation of
many infrastructure sectors. In this work, we present how the ide3a
project (international alliance for digital e-learning, e-mobility and
e-research in academia – https://ide3a.net) addresses this research
gap. ide3a is building a digital campus to support digital learning,
research, and mobility in collaboration within a network of six European
partner universities. Several senior and early career researchers with
multidisciplinary backgrounds in water management, IT systems, mobility,
energy, urban planning, sustainability, and psychology, work together to
integrate state-of-the-art research on critical infrastructure and
digitalization into traditional higher education curricula. As part of
the ide3a portfolio of digital tools for learning and research, we
present a prototype of “ConnectiCity”, an open-source simulation-based
serious game that integrates multi-sectoral models to perform
simulations of interconnected critical infrastructure systems and
quantify cascading effects under various climate, social, and technical
scenarios. Along with other ide3a activities, it is used to train early
career researchers and students alike to enrich their transdisciplinary
knowledge, foster critical system thinking, drive research on urban
critical infrastructure dynamics, and ultimately working across
disciplines to tackle contemporary urban challenges.