Get to know N-EWN

A community of researchers, practitioners, and educators working together to advance the practice of natural infrastructure.

We work across four main branches

In order to help facilitate the widespread adoption of natural infrastructure practices across the United States, we’ve identified four main areas that need additional work:

Developing methods and standards

New tools, techniques and guidance are needed to effectively plan, design, construct and operate natural infrastructure at different scales

Assessing benefits and costs

Natural infrastructure provides communities with a broad array of economic, environmental and social benefits. Improved approaches are needed to evaluate, quantify and forecast these benefits to support planning and decision making

Monitoring performance and outcomes

Technically sound, efficient and applicable methods are needed to track natural infrastructure performance over time, develop the evidence base for future designs, ensure compliance with policy and inform project operations and adaptive management

Integrating people and policy

Providing infrastructure that supports human wellbeing and equitably meets the needs of diverse communities requires integration of human values, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and policies with modern communication and collaboration practices


Combining a diversity of on-the-ground experience with interdisciplinary teams.

The N-EWN community is made up of over 30 partners from industry, academia and the non-profit sector.

What N-EWN’s been up to:

  • Special Session Invitation: 2022 American Geophysical Union

    Special Session Invitation: 2022 American Geophysical Union

    The 2022 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall meeting is being held December 12-16 in Chicago, IL. My colleagues and I are hosting a session (161288) in the Natural Hazards section titled “Implementation Natural- and Nature-based Features: The Nexus of Flood Protection & Biodiversity. Session Summary We invite presentations of current research, engineering development, and implementation of…

  • New EWN podcast: Leveraging Federal Partnering to Infuse Nature into Urban Community Resilience

    New EWN podcast: Leveraging Federal Partnering to Infuse Nature into Urban Community Resilience

    Welcome to Episode 4! We’re discussing the role of EWN and nature-based solutions (NBS) in addressing urban challenges to build community and regional resilience. Host Sarah Thorne is joined by new co-host, Burton Suedel, Research Biologist at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); Abby Hall, Senior Advisor on Local and Regional Planning, with the…

  • Progress and Hope at the UGA and ERDC In-Person Workshop

    Progress and Hope at the UGA and ERDC In-Person Workshop

    Last week, we had our first in-person meeting for the Network for Engineering With Nature UGA-ERDC crew since COVID-19 shut down travel in 2019. Throughout our two days in Athens, Georgia, we heard from each research team, learned about how their work has evolved over time, and brainstormed about how we can continue to accelerate…

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