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 NNI community is made up of over 30 partners from industry, academia and the non-profit sector.
What NNI’s been up to:
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Brian Bledsoe and Don Nelson Explore the Important of Taking Cues from Nature
“Infrastructure must become more resilient as the global climate changes and also more affordable in the economic and political context of a post-COVID world. We can solve this dual challenge and drive global infrastructure investment into a more sustainable direction by taking our cues from Nature,” write Brian Bledsoe and Don Nelson, along with several…
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October 2021 Knowledge Series: Living Shoreline Policy
Shana Jones & Scott Pippin, UGA Adapting shoreline stabilization infrastructure and approaches to sea-level rise will require measures that improve federal, state, and local governance mechanisms; promote nature-based management practices; and change property owner behavior that affects coastal areas. This presentation focuses on shoreline stabilization law and policy, specifically the ocean-facing and estuarine protection laws in…
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N-EWN Graduate Student, Sheppard Medlin, shares N-EWN work at ASBPA
Sheppard Medlin, who is pursuing his Master of Engineering at UGA, shared the work he is doing with Dr. Matt Bilskie on scaling natural infrastructure at the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association national conference. Sheppards poster is available here. The “scaling natural infrastructure” project is working to answer the following research questions: 1) Traditionally,…
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