A comparative analysis framework for assessing the sustainability of a combined water and energy infrastructure

The evolution of infrastructure is a long journey that requires the concomitant advancement of associated sciences and technologies. Today's disparate utility infrastructures could be the starting point for such a journey, from where future infrastructure may develop to a degree of perfection that will enable multifunctional use; thereby removing duplication, capital and operational cost and risk, improving sustainability. This paper presents a framework for a sustainability analysis of a futuristic idea, "City-Blood", that proposes to distribute energy and water through a single infrastructure. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used to analyse qualitative and quantitative data to determine the relative sustainability of several City-Blood implementations by comparing them against existing disparate electricity and water delivery systems. Each solution considers extreme economic, social, and environmental contexts that affect the need for the infrastructure and resource use. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.