China is currently at a critical stage of coordinating existing and incremental infrastructure, integrating traditional and new infrastructure, and comprehensively improving the institutional framework for modern infrastructure construction. Looking ahead, it is crucial to anticipate the safety risks associated with new infrastructure projects and to systematically propose resilience enhancement strategies suited to emerging challenges. This is essential for building safe, reliable, and resilient modern cities.

Recently, Professor Shi Qian, Senior Deputy Dean of Tongji-SEM and Deputy Director of the National Intelligent Social Governance Experimental Comprehensive Base (Yangpu, Shanghai), published an article in Shanghai Observer. Centered on “five major risks in new infrastructure construction” and “a new paradigm of resilient and safe modern urban governance,” the article provides strong support for addressing increasingly complex non-traditional security challenges and advancing the high-quality development of modern cities.

The full text of the article is as follows:

At this year’s Central Urban Work Conference, it was emphasized that China’s urban development is shifting from large-scale incremental expansion to a stage primarily focused on improving the quality and efficiency of existing assets. With the objectives of innovation, livability, beauty, resilience, civility, and intelligence, urban development must proactively adapt to changing circumstances. This entails building safe, reliable, and resilient cities and accelerating the construction of urban infrastructure lifeline security projects.

China is thus at a pivotal moment: coordinating the stock and increment of infrastructure, integrating traditional and new systems, and refining mechanisms for modern infrastructure construction. From a non-traditional security perspective, it is vital to anticipate the risks facing new infrastructure projects and to establish resilience enhancement strategies.

Five Major Risks in New Infrastructure Construction

New infrastructure development generally follows three pathways:

1. Traditional substitution — exemplified by the transition between old and new energy systems, which drives optimization of the urban energy mix and supports low-carbon transformation.
2. Interactive empowerment — represented by the integration of digital and intelligent infrastructure, which enhances urban operational efficiency and governance capacity.
3. Strategic leadership — reflected in the rise of the low-altitude economy, where new airspace infrastructure expands urban spatial dimensions and cultivates future industrial ecosystems.

While these pathways foster sustainable growth, smart governance, and new economic opportunities, they also bring emerging risks. For instance, digital infrastructure construction increasingly faces challenges such as data breaches, system vulnerabilities, and privacy erosion—issues that complicate resilient urban governance.

Compared with traditional infrastructure risks (e.g., earthquakes, typhoons, floods), new infrastructure presents five distinct categories of risks:

1. Lagging institutional frameworks — Safety responsibilities for new energy projects remain unclear, planning and regulatory systems are slow to adapt, and mechanisms for data security and privacy protection are insufficient. In the low-altitude economy, airspace management is fragmented and poorly aligned with urban planning.
2. Weak system coordination — Cross-departmental emergency response mechanisms are underdeveloped. Data silos across agencies hinder real-time risk monitoring and response, while airspace regulations remain inconsistent across regions.
3. Escalating technical risks — The absence of unified safety standards for new energy components increases failure risks. Digital systems remain vulnerable in extreme scenarios, while low-altitude aircraft technologies are immature and prone to malfunctions in complex environments.
4. Incomplete standards and supervision — New energy projects lack comprehensive oversight, digital infrastructure standards lag behind technological iteration, and drone regulations fail to cover the full lifecycle of operations and applications.
5. Unbalanced cost-sharing and limited public acceptance — Privacy concerns fuel distrust of digital systems, while noise and safety concerns regarding low-altitude routes generate public resistance, complicating social governance.

Building a Resilient and Safe Urban Governance Paradigm

To meet the demands of urban transformation, it is necessary to:

1. Strengthen legal and institutional frameworks — Clarify responsibilities, establish operational standards, accelerate data security regulations, and unify airspace management rules.
2. Improve system coordination — Build cross-departmental emergency platforms, unify data standards to eliminate silos, and develop an integrated national air traffic management system.
3. Advance technological integration and preparedness — Establish dynamic monitoring, expand “digital twin” applications, and conduct regular emergency drills for complex scenarios.
4. Prioritize standardization and dynamic optimization — Create full lifecycle risk assessment systems, establish rating mechanisms for digital infrastructure, and update technical standards to match rapid innovation.
5. Promote co-governance and public participation — Ensure equitable access to energy, encourage citizen input in digital and low-altitude governance, and strengthen community engagement mechanisms.

Conclusion

Improving systems and mechanisms for new infrastructure construction is a cornerstone of urban resilience and the development of modern, people-centered cities. In the face of growing risks, it is imperative to uphold bottom-line thinking, adopt a systematic approach, and accelerate the establishment of a safety governance framework that balances coordination, efficiency, and adaptability. By doing so, China can enhance urban emergency preparedness, strengthen recovery capacity, and provide solid guarantees for navigating complex non-traditional security challenges while advancing high-quality urban development.

(Source: Shanghai Observer, August 22, 2025)