The ASCE News Civil Engineering Roundtable showcases insights from a cross section of ASCE members on a variety of industry topics.
As 2018 winds down, it’s a good time to look back and take the temperature of the year.
We asked:
What was the defining civil engineering trend of the year?
Bilal M. Ayyub
Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, Dist.M.ASCE, editor of Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: ASCE Manual of Practice 140
“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the value of construction put in place in the U.S. is slightly more than $1.3 trillion per year. Generally, these built systems are not designed to account for a changing climate. Without having standards and guidelines, planners and engineers are improvising to address this situation. For meeting this need, the ASCE Committee on Adaptation to a Changing Climate finalized in 2018 a manual of practice on climate-resilient infrastructure that is based on adaptive design and risk management concepts.”
Jessica Chen
P.E., M.ASCE, 2018 ASCE New Faces of Civil Engineering honoree
“The need to build a more resilient community has been a dominant topic in civil engineering in 2018.”
James H. Anspach
P.G., Dist.M.ASCE, ASCE Distinguished Member, Class of 2018
“In a word – resilience. As our natural disasters of flooding, mudslides, fire, hurricanes, and more continue to affect our growing built environment worldwide, designing to resist and recover from these events is gathering more attention from infrastructure owners and politicians.”
Alexa Ducioame
P.E., CFM, M.ASCE, 2018 ASCE New Faces of Civil Engineering honoree
“Civil engineering has faced many challenges in 2018. The United States has a D+ on the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card, is lacking $2 trillion in funding, and climate change is bringing even bigger storms.
“We need to continue to optimize sustainable infrastructure and reduce life-cycle costs, so budgets can go further. Ongoing advocacy for funding is vital to celebrate more wins like the passage of the Water Resources Development Act in October.”
