Book Review: Hall, J. W., Tran, M., Hickford, A. J. & Nicholls, R. J. (2016) The Future of National Infrastructure: A Systems-of-Systems Approach. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

National infrastructure, of all engineering entities, is probably the foremost example of a civil engineering system and the most likely candidate for a systems-of-systems approach. Not only are such systems stressed by human and environmental imperatives but there is an increasing focus on issues like risk and resilience. This book, therefore, is extremely welcome and timely. It is based on the work of the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) which is a major Programme Grant funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The editors have skilfully crafted a compelling systems story based on an excellent range of contributors, and have struck a good balance between breadth and depth.