Interconnectedness enhances network resilience of multimodal public transportation systems for Safe-to-Fail urban mobility

The growing interconnectedness of urban infrastructure networks presents challenges to their ability to handle unforeseen disruptions, particularly in the context of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. Understanding the resilience of interconnected infrastructure systems is imperative to effectively manage such disruptions. This study investigates the role of interconnectedness in enhancing the resilience of public transportation systems in Hong Kong, a city heavily reliant on public transit. Our results demonstrate that interconnected transportation systems improve resilience by reducing topological vulnerabilities, increasing attack tolerance, and enhancing post-disruption interoperability. Findings also identify the potential to integrate vulnerable systems for greater robustness and highlight the marginal benefits of enhancing intermodal transfer. Strengthening interconnectedness among modes of urban public transit fosters a safe-to-fail system, presenting a distinct resilience-by-design approach. This complements conventional resilience-by-intervention approaches that focus on improving individual systems or introducing entirely new systems.

Zizhen Xu, Shauhrat S. Chopra