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Sybil Derrible

@sybilderrible.com
454 followers 212 following 49 posts

Urban Engineer. Author (sybilderrible.com). Professor (UIC). Speaker. Director of CSUN Lab (csun.uic.edu). Fellow ASCE. UNEP GEO-7 Lead Author.

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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 24/02/2026
The #Mongol #Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history? It relied on one piece of #infrastructure. What is it and how did it work? Subscribe to the #InfrastructureisEverywhere newsletter. For now, it's free. Just enter your email address at derrible.substack.com
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 05/02/2026
My latest #InfrastructureisEverywhere story is out. Learn about #Utilidors and how #DisneyWorld engineers have handled #mosquitoes in swampy Florida: derrible.substack.com/p/infrastruc... If you haven't subscribed yet, do so. No account needed, just enter your email at derrible.substack.com
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 05/01/2026
Start the new year on a positive note: derrible.substack.com/p/stans-jour... My latest #InfrastructureIsEverywhere post offers a heartwarming story about a stuffed rabbit. Subscribe at derrible.substack.com #infrastructure, #shortstory
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 10/12/2025
The #story is out! Click here to read my latest #Substack and learn what happened to former government #buildings in #Bonn, Germany: derrible.substack.com/p/the-story-...
derrible.substack.com
The Story of Bonn’s Empty Government Buildings
When a national capital moves to another city
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 06/12/2025
Scrambling for present ideas? #Books always make great presents! Make someone very happy with #TheInfrastructureBook. Get it in #paperback, #digital, or #audio format. Get it #online or at your local #bookstore: www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-In... Spread the #joy, spread the #knowledge!
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 07/10/2025
Last weekend, I posted my latest #InfrastructureisEverywhere story. It's about #utilitypoles. They're fabulous and underrated, and I think it's unfair. Learn to read them by reading the story: derrible.substack.com/p/pole-reading
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 29/09/2025
This weekend, I have a new story coming out in my #InfrastructureisEverywhere newsletter. I am very excited. It's about... #utilitypoles! We will learn to read them. Sign up to get it to your inbox. It takes 5 seconds and it's free: derrible.substack.com
derrible.substack.com
Sybil Derrible | Substack
Urban Engineer (sybilderrible.com). Author of The Infrastructure Book. Professor (UIC). Director of CSUN Lab (csun.uic.edu). Fellow American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). United Nations Environme...
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 21/07/2025
#TheInfrastructureBook was reviewed by the American Society of Civil Engineers #ASCE “Derrible’s book is a worthy new tool… expertly done with a snappy and engaging writing style perfectly suited to his goal of making engineering accessible.” I am blessed 🙏 www.asce.org/publications...
asce.org
In easy-to-understand manner, author stresses infrastructure’s importance
The Infrastructure Book shines a light on the importance of our infrastructure and does it in a way that is understandable to nonexperts.
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 08/07/2025
Yesterday, I sent my second #InfrastructureisEverywhere newsletter: The Three Dams of Saint Pierre. I am very, very excited about this newsletter. Read the story at substack.com/inbox/post/1... Join the newsletter at derrible.substack.com
lnkd.in
The Three Dams of Saint Pierre
Don't judge a dam by its concrete
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 22/06/2025
#Nature reviewed and found #TheInfrastructureBook one of the "best science picks" 🤯 !!! #Nature's book reviews are not emphatic, not to endorse books. Still, the fact that my book was selected amazes me: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Stories that are out of this world: Books in brief
Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 10/06/2025
Father's Day is this Sunday. I have the perfect gift for you.. a copy of #TheInfrastructureBook 😀 ! If you're in Chicago, DM me to sign it. I wish I had thought of it for Mother's Day, because I know many mothers have enjoyed it. Here's some buying options: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...
prometheusbooks.com
The Infrastructure Book - Prometheus Books
Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is ...
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 29/05/2025
Looking for a copy of #TheInfrastructureBook in #Chicago? Head to Unabridged Bookstore in #Lakeview, one of my favorite independent bookstores. They have a few (signed) copies... go quickly, I know they've run out before... if they're out, order a copy and let me know so I can sign it too.
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 20/05/2025
SHORT STORY ALERT: The Tough Life of an Electric Transmission Tower "It’s tough being an electric transmission tower. Rain or shine, hot or cold, windy or calm, they must stand tall. I met one once in Chicago, and he wasn’t happy..." Scroll to the bottom of sybilderrible.com/writings.html
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 14/05/2025
Want to hear about #infrastructure? I had a fantastic time talking about #TheInfrastructureBook with Mark Hurst last week on his show #Techtonic. I think it was my best interview yet! You can find the interview on all podcast platforms and at wfmu.org/playlists/TD
wfmu.org
Techtonic with Mark Hurst
Playlists & archives
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 24/04/2025
Looking for a (signed) copy of #TheInfrastructureBook in #NYC? Head to Rizzoli Bookstore next to Madison Square Park! What a gorgous bookstore!
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 13/04/2025
I couldn't help myself. I had a blast making action figures with my family. I followed the instructions at www.linkedin.com/posts/maznad.... Thank you to everyone who rated #TheInfrastructureBook on GoodReads, Kobo, and Amazon! I am really grateful!
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 11/04/2025
Rating ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Thank you! I have received so much support for #TheInfrastructureBook. I am very touched. Please consider rating the book on #GoodReads, #Amazon, and other platforms. Competition for books is fierce. Your reviews help! Find the book: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...
prometheusbooks.com
The Infrastructure Book - Prometheus Books
Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is ...
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 08/04/2025
Is any publicity good publicity? With its 6,000 people stranded on a tiny archipelago, my hometown of #SaintPierreandMiquelon is on the news, supposedly as "Public Enemy Number 1 for America": www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
theglobeandmail.com
A French archipelago with 6,000 residents finds itself in Trump’s tariff crosshairs
Representatives of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a collection of eight islands off the coast of Newfoundland, might know what miscalculation led to a 50 per cent rate before it was lowered Monday
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 02/04/2025
I had a blast talking about #TheInfrastructureBook on the podcast Everything is Somewhere! Great show! amerisurv.com/podcast_epis...
amerisurv.com
#12 – Sybil Derrible - The American Surveyor
In this episode of Everything is Somewhere, Angus interviews Sybil Derrible, a professor of Urban Engineering and author of ‘The Infrastructure Book: How...
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 31/03/2025
To all my friends in #Canada, you can get your copy of #TheInfrastructureBook at Chapters Indigo! A friend of mine had fun taking pictures of the book around the Bay & Bloor store in #Toronto! Love it!
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 26/03/2025
The #ASCE Infrastructure Report Card is out! America gets a #C grade. Not bad but can do better. Learn about the engineering principles that govern how infrastructure works in #TheInfrastructureBook (or consider gifting the book): www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...
prometheusbooks.com
The Infrastructure Book - Prometheus Books
Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is ...
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 21/03/2025
I am not active on #X, but I have been getting many, many notifications on old posts in the past week. Does anyone know if the #bots have been let loose?
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 21/03/2025
I am not active on #X, but I have been getting many, many notifications on old posts in the past week. Does anyone know if the #bots have been let loose?
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 12/03/2025
#TheInfrastructureBook is out! Want to know how #water is treated, why #cities #flood, what causes #trafficcongestion, how #electricity is generated, how the #internet works? Available in print, digital, and audio formats Some purchase options: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 11/02/2025
I had the best time talking about my work and presenting #TheInfrastructureBook (coming out in 3 weeks!!!) at the University of Seoul (#UOS). And, of course, I am thrilled to be back in #Seoul with its magnificent #CheonggyecheonRiver (my favorite infrastructure of all time).
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 21/01/2025
#TheInfrastructureBook is coming out in 40 days! While being short and readable, it goes over the engineering principles that make #infrastructure work. It's available pretty much everywhere (and as an audiobook). Some pre-order options: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664.... Here's the TOC.
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Reposted by Sybil Derrible
Harvey J. Miller @mobileharv.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Traffic evaporation is the opposite of induced traffic demand. “Initially, everyone thought it would cause gridlock. But people adapted. Now we can’t imagine the highway ever being here.”
theguardian.com
‘Everyone thought it would cause gridlock’: the highway that Seoul turned into a stream
Cheonggyecheon stream in the South Korean capital has become an attraction – and helps with flood management, fighting air pollution and cooling the city
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 16/01/2025
Another student told me that image-based #LLMs can't draw a person writing with their left hand. I tried #Gemini and #DALL-E and confirmed it. As a left-handed person, I love it! Lefties still hold secrets that LLMs cannot reproduce.
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 30/12/2024
SHORT STORY ALERT: What is the difference between an #anecdote and a #story? In #ThePenguinChronicles, I practiced telling stories in different genres through mini-short stories (3 min read). Find it on #Medium (medium.com/@derrible/th...) and my website (sybilderrible.com/writings.htm...)
medium.com
The Penguin Chronicles
What is the difference between an anecdote and a story? An anecdote is a sequence of events that leads to a baked-in ending. A story is a…
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 27/12/2024
Do you know the story of the elves and the shoemaker? In cities with a #tramway, at night, elves come to repair the rails... finding them is a rare and exquisite sight for #infrastructure lovers. I saw it while in #Berlin a few years ago. I saw it again in #Basel a few days ago.
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 18/12/2024
#infrastructureiseverywhere. From a friend's place in Basel (CH). From bottom to top: heating, green roof, tramway, road, lights (electricity), cell towers (x2), buildings, crane, Moon (Earth's infrastructure). What am I missing?
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 16/12/2024
I love #infrastructure. I just wish it were more #multifunctional. Here's a picture I took in #Lille (France) over the summer, featuring juxtaposed telecommunication, transport, and electricity infrastructure. Couldn't they be better integrated? Find more at (bottom page) sybilderrible.com
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 12/12/2024
That looks like a book I’ll put on my reading list for 2025
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 11/12/2024
This semester's CME440 Cities and Sustainable Infrastructure students outdid themselves. They were asked to design a livable and sustainable community in Chicago. See their design leaflets (89.9Mb) at sybilderrible.com/files/classe...
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 06/12/2024
BIG NEWS: #TheInfrastructureBook will be available as an #audiobook on your preferred platform (e.g., Audible, Apple, Spotify, audiobooks.com, Google Play). The amazing and incomparable @derekdysart.com has agreed to lend his voice to the project. Find out more at rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
rbmediaglobal.com
RBmedia | The Infrastructure Book
RBmedia is the largest audiobook publisher in the world. With more than 60,000 titles, our catalog is the largest collection of audiobooks in the industry.
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 03/12/2024
Just finished reading #Steinbeck's #TheGrapesofWrath. It's a story of hope & despair, generosity & greed, resilience & vulnerability. Timeless. Still as relevant today as when it came out in 1939. Only the characters' origins change. Okies sure have changed. Mothers remain heroes. What do you think?
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 27/11/2024
A student told me the funniest thing about image-based #LLMs. Ask them for a glass of wine full to the rim. They can't do it (image generated with Gemini). Despite their potential, LLMs can't go beyond what the data they were trained on. Let the game begin! What other images can't they generate?
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Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 24/11/2024
My first post on Bluesky must be about "The Infrastructure Book: How Cities Work and Power Our Lives" (coming in March). I am so excited about it. I also received phenomenal endorsements. More coming soon, but it can already be pre-ordered: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...
prometheusbooks.com
The Infrastructure Book - Prometheus Books
Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is ...
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