Case Studies Principles Glossary About

Principles of Resilient Infrastructure

A framework for assessing how infrastructure systems are designed, governed, and maintained to withstand and adapt to disruption.

Each case study in the DIR Wiki is assessed against the UNDRR Principles for Resilient Infrastructure. These six principles provide a consistent lens for evaluating how infrastructure systems anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and recover from hazards and disruptions.

The principles are codified in ISO 22372:2025 — the first international standard for infrastructure resilience — developed by ISO/TC 292 with the contribution of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). They are aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and UN Sustainable Development Goal 9.

The principles are not hierarchical — resilient infrastructure typically demonstrates strength across all six dimensions, though the balance varies by context, sector, and geography.

P1 — Clearly Defined Accountabilities and Shared Responsibilities
Sharing information and expertise for coordinated benefits through harmonised open standards, collaborative management, clear accountability, enhanced connectivity for information sharing, assured data safety to build trust, and transparent risk-and-return information.
Singapore DTSS Australia Bridge China EV Charging EU CyberSecurity Broward County Challenger
P2 — Proactively Protected
Proactively planning, designing, building and operating infrastructure prepared for current and future hazards, with raised safety requirements, consideration of complex interdependencies, embedded emergency management, and commitment to long-term maintenance and investment.
Singapore DTSS Australia Bridge Australia Climate China EV Charging China Hydraulic China Urban Mobility EU CyberSecurity Broward County
P3 — Environmentally Integrated
Working in a positively integrated way with the natural environment by minimising environmental impact, using environmental solutions, integrating ecosystem information, maintaining natural systems, and using local sustainable resources.
Singapore DTSS Australia Bridge Australia Climate China Hydraulic
P4 — Socially Engaged
Developing active engagement, involvement and participation across all levels of society by informing people about disruptions, raising resilience literacy, incentivising demand behaviour, and encouraging community participation in decision-making.
Australia Bridge China EV Charging China Hydraulic EU CyberSecurity Broward County Challenger
P5 — Adaptively Transforming
Adapting and transforming to changing needs through manageable solutions, adaptive capacity, flexible management, capacity for transformation, and allowing for human discretion in decision-making across the infrastructure lifecycle.
Australia Bridge EU CyberSecurity Broward County Challenger
P6 — Continually Learning and Improving
Developing and updating understanding and insight into infrastructure resilience by exposing and validating assumptions, monitoring and intervening appropriately, analysing and learning from events, and conducting rigorous stress tests.
Australia Climate China Urban Mobility Challenger

Standards & References

DIR Case Study Wiki • Principles of Resilient Infrastructure • Last updated February 2026