Engineering Resilience

Abstract

As climate change intensifies floods, heatwaves, and sea-level rise, global infrastructure faces unprecedented vulnerabilities, with damages reaching $360 billion in 2022. This review explores how smart technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), digital twins, and resilient materials, transform climate-resilient infrastructure to withstand these escalating hazards. Synthesizing recent advancements from the last five years, it examines their applications in urban and rural contexts, drawing on case studies from the Netherlands’ IoT-enabled dikes, Singapore’s AI-driven urban planning, and Ghana’s cost-effective rural solutions. These innovations reduce maintenance costs by 15-25%, enhance flood response times by 40%, and align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for equitable, sustainable development. However, economic barriers, governance gaps, and equity challenges hinder global adoption, particularly in developing nations where connectivity and funding limit scalability. The review proposes future directions, including open-source platforms, public-private partnerships, and interdisciplinary research to address multi-hazard risks. By integrating data-driven engineering with green infrastructure, this study offers a roadmap for policymakers and engineers to build climate-proof infrastructure that ensures safety, sustainability, and resilience. This comprehensive synthesis underscores the urgent need for collaborative, inclusive strategies to safeguard global infrastructure against climate change, providing actionable insights for a resilient future.