In modern usage, civil engineering is a broad field of engineering that deals with the planning, construction, and maintenance of fixed structures, or public works, as they are related to earth, water, or civilization and their processes.

Most civil engineering today deals with power plants, bridges, roads, railways, structures, water supply, irrigation, environmental, sewer, flood control, transportation, telecommunications and traffic.

In essence, civil engineering may be regarded as the profession that makes the world a more agreeable place in which to live. Engineering has developed from observations of the ways natural and constructed systems react and from the development of empirical equations that provide bases for design.

Civil engineering is the broadest of the engineering fields, partly because it is the oldest of all engineering fields.

In fact, engineering was once divided into only two fields, military and civil.

Civil engineering is still an umbrella term, comprised of many related specialities..

For more information about the topic Civil engineering, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Traffic engineering (transportation) — Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. ...  > read more

Engineering geology — Engineering Geology is the application of the science of geology to the understanding of geologic phenomena and the engineering solution of geologic ...  > read more

Geotechnical engineering — Geotechnical engineering is concerned with the engineering properties of earth materials. Geotechnical engineers investigate the soil and bedrock ...  > read more

Mechanical engineering — Mechanical engineering is a very broad field of engineering that involves the application of physical principles for analysis, design, manufacturing, ...  > read more

Related Stories

Researchers Building Lightweight "Bridge For The 21st Century" (January 28, 1999) — The bridge of the 21st century won't be made of concrete and steel, but of strong, lightweight materials equipped with electronic and optical sensors that warn engineers of any potential ...  > read more

NSF Funds First Phase Of Earthquake Network (September 7, 2000) — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $300,000 to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to design a national online network that will transform earthquake engineering ...  > read more

Wind Expert Cites Poor Building Practices In Connection With Storm Deaths And Destruction (March 4, 1998) — National wind expert Dr. Peter Sparks, a professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Clemson University, cites poor practices in connection with last week's tornado-related death ...  > read more

Quicky Assembled Bamboo Bridge, Strong Enough For Trucks, Opens In China (December 18, 2007) — In China, bamboo is used for furniture, artwork, building scaffolding, panels for concrete casting and now, truck bridges. The sustainable design is the first of its kind: the 10-meter span in Hunan ...  > read more

University Takes National Lead On Earthquake Study (December 30, 2004) — The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Nevada, Reno a $2 million grant to take the lead on research studying the safety and performance of highway bridges under destructive ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Concrete Canoes