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:
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AECOM’s Nature-Based Solutions: Empowering People and Nature to Thrive
Nature-based solutions harness the power of ecosystems to drive resilience, biodiversity, and sustainable outcomes. With over half of the world’s GDP dependent on healthy natural systems—and an estimated $700 billion per year needed to halt species and ecosystem loss—these solutions integrate ecological processes into the way we plan, design, and build. Nature-based approaches address climate…
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Colorado River Connectivity Channel: Discover how AECOM’s work on the Colorado River Connectivity Channel (CRCC) is balancing water resource management with environmental conservation
The Colorado River Connectivity Channel (CRCC) is restoring the lifeline of the Southwest while balancing water supply needs and environmental health. Spanning 1,450 miles and serving over 40 million people, the river supports communities, ecosystems, and economies across seven U.S. states and two in Mexico. Built in the 1980s, the Windy Gap Reservoir met critical…
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Partner Takeover: AECOM – Building Texas’ Storm Resilience
From the Texas coastline to San Antonio’s riverbanks, we’re helping communities prepare for, and thrive beyond, storm events. Working with the Texas General Land Office, we are advancing the latest Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan, integrating nature-based solutions and engineered defenses to protect 367+ miles of shoreline, critical energy assets, and millions of residents. In…
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