Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is what makes cities work and powers our lives, often seamlessly and silently. Virtually everything we do and consume depends on infrastructure. Yet, most people have little to no idea how these systems work. How is water treated? How do cities manage rainwater? Why do traffic jams exist? How is electricity generated and distributed? What happens to trash after it is picked up? How does the Internet work?

In The Infrastructure Book, Sybil Derrible reveals the behind-the-scenes machinations of the foundational systems that make our societies function. Visiting sixteen cities around the world and their unique approaches to organizational challenges – from water distribution in Hong Kong to waste management in Tokyo, and from Chicago's power grid to low Earth orbit satellites in space – this highly readable book uses fascinating case studies and historical detours to show how infrastructure works – and, sometimes, doesn't.

With large-scale infrastructure repairs looming and the need for existing infrastructure to be transformed, the book also shows how infrastructure can be more sustainable and resilient. After reading The Infrastructure Book, readers will never look at a city the same way.

My publications include the popular science book The Infrastructure Book How Cities Work and Power Our Lives (Prometheus Books, 2025) and the textbook Urban Engineering for Sustainability (MIT Press, 2019). See my Writings page.

I am a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and I was a Lead Author on the Energy Chapter of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) Seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7). Download the report.

I hold editorial responsibilities with the journals npj Urban Sustainability, the ASCE Journal of Infrastructure Systems, and Cleaner Production Letters.

As a consultant, I provide services to governments, non-profits, and industries in the world on smart cities, infrastructure design, urban sustainability, system resilience, technology, and urban futures.

Visit the CSUN Lab's website for information about the CSUN team along with a full list of publications, research projects, codes and tools, datasets, and information for prospective members, among many other things.