Toward System Performance Standards for Infrastructure Systems Impacted by Natural Hazards

Even though many disciplines familiar to the audience may have adopted a systems approach to the development of standards, the same is not currently widespread for natural hazards standards for infrastructure systems and components. Beginning with the formation of American Lifelines Alliance (ALA), this paper emphasizes the evolution of attempts to promote a systemic approach to performance standards for components in infrastructure systems. Covered are selected projects performed through ALA. In addition, projects for the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering/Federal Highway Administration (MCEER/FHWA), the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Oakland, San Francisco International Airport, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) indicate the importance of a systemic approach to the development of standards for components in infrastructure systems. At the same time, reasons are provided as to why the notion of "system performance" standards have not yet been more widely extended to natural hazards generally.