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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Restoring the Klamath River: A Historic Milestone
Stantec is supporting the restoration design for five major fish-bearing tributaries of the Klamath River as part of the largest dam removal and river restoration project in US history. Working as a subcontractor to Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), Stantec’s efforts follow the 2023 removal of four dams, which reopened over 400 miles of historical habitat…
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Nature-based Solution Success at Deer Grove Forest Preserve
Since 1916, Deer Grove Forest Preserve has been a key natural space in Cook County, Illinois. Openlands led an environmental team to assess, restore, and monitor oak ecosystems, which had suffered from invasive species. Working with the Forest Preserves of Cook County and local volunteers, they removed invasive plants, reintroduced sunlight, and encouraged the return…
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Partner Takeover: Stantec
This week, we’re putting the spotlight on our partner, Stantec. Stantec is a leader in nature-based solutions (NbS), which combine natural systems with traditional engineering. Incorporating features like bioswales, wetlands, and coastal restoration, NbS solutions help improve resilience for people, environments, and infrastructure. These strategies address climate risks such as rising temperatures, droughts, water quality,…
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