ABSTRACT
Our modifications to our planet invite us to consider matters in systems and systematic terms. Thinking in such terms presents the analyst with an advantage in considering matters on a larger scale, and with a view to consideration of all pertinent matters, even those which are not considered normally to be part of the problem. It is the author's intention that this book will provide the reader with the framework for such analyses, and for a method of thinking that will allow the consideration of all matters that are pertinent to a problem. The overall objective is to demonstrate that the analysis of structures has an underlying theme that is independent of the traditional themes such as those of wind or earthquake engineering. It is to be hoped that modern cities (Fig. 1. 7) will be designed so that the risks associated with loading from any action will be reduced to an acceptable level, and that this book will contribute to that process.
