Restoring and Improving Urban Infrastructure

As I hope to become an engineer in the future, I find it important to familiarize myself with the 14 different grand challenges that the National Academy of Engineering has challenged engineers to overcome during the 21st century.

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One of the fourteen grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century is to restore and improve urban infrastructure. This grand challenge tests engineers to modernize infrastructure, making it environmentally friendly, economically sound, and aesthetically pleasing. Infrastructure can be defined as the combination of systems that are integrated into communities. These systems vary from water to telecommunication systems. Countries all across the world are experiencing a need for repaired or replaced infrastructure, as obsolete infrastructure systems are not as effective in daily life today as they once were.

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The task of restoring and improving urban infrastructure poses concerns in certain areas, including not having an accurate map of pipes and cables that are located underground. New ways of detecting where pipes and things of that nature are positioned underground will have to be made in order for the pipes to be located for improvements to be made to existing infrastructure. The transportation systems can be improved within highways, streets, and integrated transportation systems. Constructing sturdier materials and more efficient means of building can improve constructing new homes and businesses.

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For more information on the National Academy of Engineering, the academy that introduced the 14 different engineering grand challenges, please navigate around their website below:

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In the grand challenges for engineering logo pictured above, the white background allows for the main focus of the ad to be on the largely printed words "Grand Challenges For Engineering" and the picture of three puzzle pieces coming together. The color scheme shown in the photo is fitting as the green can symbolize growth, which is what the world will experience upon completing the engineering grand challenges and the color blue can symbolize intelligence, which is much needed while completing the challenges. From the picture, I am able to gather that each challenge is equally as necessary and important when trying to create a better world, much like every puzzle piece is necessary to create a full and beautiful puzzle.

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"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

Jane Goodall