Decay, Maintenance and Repair Symposium Session 3 and Panel - Joe Brown, David Frost, Steve Usselman

natural primary events such as earthquake, hurricanes and tsunami as well as cascading

secondary events such as rainfall-induced landslides and debris flows in areas previously

impacted by events such as earthquakes and fires. Irrespective of their specific cause, there is

increasing demand to address resilience and sustainability during post-event reconstruction due

to the central role of civil infrastructure in human existence. This presentation will illustrate

different approaches taken after several major extreme events to illustrate how intersecting

technical, cultural and political factors impact decisions.

Steve Usselman - Can Maintenance Persist?: Reflections on IBM and the Pennsylvania Railroad 
ABSTRACT: Two giant corporations – the Pennsylvania Railroad at the turn into the twentieth century and IBM at the height of the so-called American Century – each held remarkable responsibility for maintaining vital elements of U.S. economic and social infrastructure. This maintenance function was built into their business models and integral to their relations with government and the public. In due course, each firm encountered disruptive competition from firms exploiting opportunities opened by new technologies offering heightened personal freedom. The resulting transformations fundamentally altered responsibilities for maintenance, in ways not fully appreciated at the time and that plague us still.