Critical infrastructures such as transportation, power, telecommunication, water supply, and hospitals play a vital role in effectively managing post-disaster responses. The resilience of critical infrastructures should be incorporated in the planning and designing phase based on the risk assessment in a particular geographic area. However, the framework to assess critical infrastructure resilience (CIR) is variably conceptualised. Therefore, the objective of this study was to critically appraise the existing CIR assessment frameworks developed since the adoption of the Sendai Framework in 2015 with the hazard focus on earthquakes. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) method was used for the selection of the 24 most relevant studies, and these were analysed to delineate existing frameworks, models, and concepts. The study found that there are wide-ranging disparities among the existing frameworks to assess the infrastructure resilience, and it has become a key challenge to prioritise resilience-based investment in the infrastructure sector. Furthermore, key attributes such as performance indicators, emergency aspects, and damage assessment need to be considered for different disaster phases—ex-ante, during, and ex-post—to improve the long-term resilience of critical infrastructure. Subsequently, an integrated and adaptable infrastructure resilience assessment framework is proposed for proper critical infrastructure planning and resilience-based investment decision making.
The concept of sustainability and the utilization of renewable bio-based sources have gained prominent attention in the construction industry. Material selection in construction plays a significant role in design and manufacturing process of sustainable building construction. Several studies are being carried out worldwide to investigate the potential use of natural fibres as reinforcement in concrete with its noticeable environmental benefits and mechanical properties. 3D printed concrete (3DPC) is another emerging technology, which has been under-developed for the past decade. The integration of reinforcement is one of the major challenges in the application of this new technology in real-life scenario. Presently, artificial fibres have been used as a reinforcement material for this special printable concrete mixture. However, natural fibre composites have received significant attention by many 3DPC constructions due to their lightweight energy conservation and environmentally friendly nature. These benchmarking characteristics unlock the wider area of natural fibres into the composite sector and challenge the substitution of artificial fibres. Hence, this paper presents a comprehensive review on the current practice and advantages of natural fibres in conventional concrete construction. Subsequently, with a view to the future efficient 3DPC construction, the potentials of natural fibres such as eco-friendly, higher impact, thermal, structural, and fire performance over the artificial fibres were highlighted, and their applicability in 3DPC as composites was recommended.