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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Nature-Based Solutions for Biodiversity Handbook
A N-EWN team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the University of Georgia recently published the new Nature-Based Solutions for Biodiversity Handbook, and handbook that uses landscape architecture renderings to demonstrate how communities can use nature-based solutions to protect their communities while promoting biodiversity. Check out the handbook here!
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August 2023 Knowledge Series: Fostering Collaborative Networks to Implement Natural & Nature-Based Features In Jamaica Bay
Jonathan Hallemeier, ERDC/EWN Natural and Nature Based Features (NNBF) are promising tools in efforts to enhance social and ecological resilience to threats, such as coastal flooding exacerbated by climate-driven sea level rise and weather events. However, implementing NNBF remains a challenge – in addition to the complexity faced by any infrastructure project, NNBF projects routinely…
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EWN S6 E4 2023—The Worst Wildfire Season In Canada—What Can We Learn About Prevention?
In late June, while preparing for this episode, there were over 500 wildfires burning across Canada. Smoke from the wildfires was affecting millions of Canadians and Americans across a wide swath of North America with air quality indexes reaching extreme levels. On the day the episode was taped (July 5, 2023) there were over 625…
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