Achieving Sustainable Outcomes Using Engineering with Nature Principles and Practices

Much has changed over the past 2 decades in the way government agencies around the world think about planning, design, and construction of infrastructure projects. Population growth, economic development, climate change, sea-level rise, and the changing character of natural disasters have introduced enormous pressures and expectations for government-funded projects aimed at providing water and transportation services, restoring communities after natural disasters, and building long-term resiliency. The United Nation (UN)'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, have emerged as a vital part of public and private sector efforts to manage the tremendous pressures on nature posed by increasing human demands for food, land, and water resources and security (UN 2019). Now more than ever is the time for a concerted global focus on nature-based solutions (NBS). There is ample and growing evidence for how NBS strategies produce a range of beneficial economic, environmental, and social outcomes while ameliorating the human-induced stresses imposed on the natural environment (Oen 2019). In the United States, the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has recognized the importance of designing and constructing infrastructure projects that work with nature, and in 2010 the USACE launched the Engineering With Nature (EWN) initiative. Its focus at inception was to advance sustainable and resilient projects and outcomes by the intentional alignment of engineering and natural processes to efficiently and sustainably deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits to communities and the nation. Over the past 10 years, the USACE has advanced its ability to deliver water resources and infrastructure projects that are broadly accepted by communities, reduce demands on limited natural resources, and minimize environmental impacts, while generating a diverse array of economic, environmental, and social benefits. Since 2010, the USACE's vision has been widely successful in building upon examples of best practice from past decades in the United States. In doing so, the EWN initiative has highlighted the power of broad collaboration across government, private sector, academic, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver such multifunctional projects. The USACE has taken this approach internationally, as well, and has begun working with partner organizations in several countries. There is ample and growing evidence for how NBS strategies produce a range of beneficial economic, environmental, and social outcomes while ameliorating the human-induced stresses imposed on the natural environment. Research and development at USACE is focused on advancing the understanding and application of NBS. One example of this R forming a focused team that is broadly multidisciplinary; clearly defining the problem, opportunities, and objectives on a system-level scale; defining the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of each individual and/or organization partnering in the work; and codifying the team member's relationships and responsibilities in the form of a well-crafted project management plan. The USACE is committed to working with governments and organizations pursuing similar sustainability and resilience outcomes for infrastructure. The world community faces many resource challenges and opportunities, and the approaches taken to engineer solutions to these will have long-lasting consequences on generations to come. In early 2021, the USACE's EWN initiative will realize another important landmark goal with the publication of international guidelines on the use of NNBF for flood risk management. Experts from 7 countries and more than 50 different public and private organizations (e.g., nonprofits, academic, private sector, and governmental) have contributed to these guidelines. We are optimistic that the marriage of NBS and engineering is a step in the right direction for the entire world. In her book, The Nature Fix, Florence Williams chronicles the growing body of science that links human contact with nature to human health, well-being, cognition, and creativity (Williams 2017). Concrete and steel are strong building materials, but they can't satisfy all of our human needs.