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The article reviews ways to improve measurements of lifeline vulnerability, defining lifeline vulnerability as aspects of social vulnerability to natural hazards influenced by lifeline failure. First, a literature review of indicators commonly used to address lifeline vulnerability within social vulnerability indexing is presented, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the study. Then, nine lifeline vulnerability indicators for central Norway are mapped to provide a practical basis. Thereafter, the author uses the theoretical and practical basis to discuss some problematic issues with respect to indicator selection. The review shows that to date assessments have addressed narrow segments of the broad range of factors influencing lifeline vulnerability. The map examples underscore that an indicator must be validated for each context, and that minor variations on the definition of a lifeline indicator is a critical process. Lifeline indicators represent life situations that conceptually stand apart from indicators representing social categories or exposure. Due to interdependencies among lifeline systems and because of the spatial irregularity of people's dependence on lifelines, it is difficult to determine both the spatial extent of outage and the social consequences. Further, because of lifeline vulnerability's distinct conceptual and spatial characteristics, the author suggests that it should be indexed separately from social factors, exposure, and risk.

Introduction BackgroundLightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) has potential to offer weight reduction without significantly having to compromise the structural properties. Still, however, this material has not realized its potential as a commonly accepted alternative to normal weight concrete (NWC) or other construction materials. Main reasons for this are somewhat higher material and production costs, a common skepticism related to production properties, design/structural performance and durability, and the lack of sufficient and generally valid guidelines, rules and standards. Furthermore, a dependency on local/national conditions as to materials resources has provided specialized guidelines and standards in a way as to limit an all-European and cross-boarder application and trading with the materials. Another motivation to promote LWAC is that the growing shortage on traditional aggregate resources in great parts of Europe, combined with increasing focus on pollution and waste handling, is forcing the building and construction industry to look for alternative solutions that can combine these issues. Project InformationBased on this background an European consortium was established in 1995 with the aim to run a project within the framework of the Brite EuRam III program. The baseline is an international state-of-the-art and extensive national research in which the consortium partners have played a key role. The project draws on this present knowledge, co-ordinates, validates and utilizes the results in an extended development towards a more generally applicable, European concept for LWA concrete technology.