| Summary: | Several studies, from both the private sector (McKinsey, Engie, and EY) and international organizations (OECD, World Bank, and IMF), have shown that urban population in cities will grow in the coming decades. This growth implies an increased pressure on all urban networks—transporting people, goods, water, waste, electricity, information, heat, and so on. These functions are executed by urban infrastructures entailing huge investments. We have dedicated our research to the optimization of infrastructures and more precisely of metro systems to offer global solutions to fulfill city needs—the multifunctional metro. The innovative multifunctional metro system incorporates several other urban networks—optical fiber, high-voltage electric cables, water and sewage pipes, geothermal piles, pneumatic systems, merchandise shuttles, and many others depending on the context of each project. The aim of the multifunctional metro is to meet several needs of cities with one common infrastructure. Adding a function to a system increases its complexity. For this reason, we focus our research on the application of methods that allow better management of the complexity: systems engineering applied to infrastructures. In the first part of the paper, we will present a benchmark of multipurpose infrastructures across the world and the benefits of such a system for cities. In the second part, we will present and illustrate the concept of the multifunctional metro. Next, we will present the method based on systems engineering to analyse multifunctional systems. Finally, the concept of a multifunctional metro is illustrated with a case study on the future fifth metro line of Lyon, France. In conclusion, we will discuss the current barriers for the development of multifunctional infrastructures.
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