Introduction to Infrastructure: An Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering  breaks new ground in preparing civil and environmental engineers to meet the challenges of the 21st 
century.  The authors use the infrastructure that is all around us to
introduce students to civil and environmental engineering, demonstrating
how all the parts of civil and environmental engineering are
interrelated to help students see the "big picture" in the first or
second year of the curriculum. Students learn not only the  what  of the infrastructure, but also the  how  and the  why 
of the infrastructure. Readers learn the infrastructure is a system of
interrelated physical components, and how those components affect, and
are affected by, society, politics, economics, and the environment.
Studying infrastructure allows educators and students to develop a
valuable link between fundamental knowledge and the ability to apply
that knowledge, so students may translate their knowledge to new
contexts.