Resilient Infrastructure is a Wicked Problem
Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber coined the term “wicked problem” in a 1973 publication to describe complex societal challenges that resist simple solutions. Wicked problems are difficult to define because stakeholders often view them differently, have no single right or wrong solution—only options that may be better or worse—and every solution creates lasting consequences that are difficult to predict or reverse. Challenges such as extreme weather, water scarcity, and resilient infrastructure planning are classic examples, requiring decisions that balance competing priorities, uncertainty, and long-term impacts.
Resilient Infrastructure is Thick
Thickness has its origins in the work of Dr. Robert Vos, a scholar at the University of Southern California. It was formally introduced in a 2007 scholarly publication. It has several unique features upon which criteria have been developed to screen the environmental performance of infrastructure investments. Specifically, four criteria are applied to assess thickness for resilient infrastructure finance.
Benefits of Resilient Infrastructure
- It helps communities adapt to extreme weather.
- It reduces the strain on scarce natural resources.
We have a scoring system to rate how effectively a project achieves either goal.
Adaptive Scoring Process
Our Adaptive scoring process focuses on climate - how communities and companies harden their systems, processes, and infrastructure to adapt to and protect against the adverse consequences of extreme weather. Our thinking is influenced by the City Resiliency Index, which was developed by ARUP, with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation. This index is based on the four qualities of resiliency:
The degree to which infrastructure systems share information to function collectively and respond rapidly through short feedback loops.
The ability to of an infrastructure system to withstand the increasing severity of hazard events without significant damage.
The ability of an infrastructure system to continuously evolve and improve to prepare for increasing uncertainty.
The design of the infrastructure system with alternative functions that meet the needs of a community during shock or stress, and its ability to rapidly respond to change.
Preservative Scoring Process
Our Preservative scoring process focuses on the environment – how transactions between humans and nature occur and how they are managed. We either take from nature or we give to nature. In our vocabulary, we consider four forms of natural capital from the book Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution (1999) by Hawkins, Lovins and Lovins. The authors refer to the environment as “natural capital” and classify the environment into four categories which are finite in supply and should be consumed thoughtfully in the pursuit of economic growth:
Geologic non-renewable sources (oil, coal and natural gas) and perpetual renewable sources (wind, such and water).
Essential for planetary life with no substitutes.
Balance of gases necessary to sustain life.
Living places and interconnected ecosystems that provide essential life-support functions.
Case Studies
Gain better understanding of our investment philosophies with real world examples.
Further Resources
Explore case studies, research papers, short educational videos, and other valuable resources for quick overviews and in-depth learning about how we invest.
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The Bridge to a Resilient Future
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