Assessment of Impacts of High-Rise Buildings on the Electric and Transportation Infrastructures in Developing Countries

A tendency affecting the performance of infrastructures in developing countries is the growing number of high-rise buildings. These new buildings put intense pressure on existing infrastructures especially on road transportation and electric systems, due to the traffic they generate and the high number of resources they require to function. This study uses a hybrid approach to assess the impact of high-rise buildings on two critical infrastructures. First, a user-equilibrium approach is used to assess the effect of high-rise buildings on the performance of the transportation infrastructure. A system dynamics model is then used to evaluate the effect of high-rise buildings on the electric power system. The models developed are verified and validated using data from a large city in a developing country. This research illustrates the impact of new disruptors, on the services provided by critical infrastructures and on their interdependencies in developing countries.