When most people hear the word “infrastructure,” they think of roads, buildings, and other man-made structures. But experts at the University of Georgia’s Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS) have identified natural features, from forests to river floodplains to wetlands, that have direct and indirect benefits to local communities and ecosystems. This term is also used to represent
As IRIS Director, Brian Bledsoe works with students and faculty across the university, as well as private sector and nonprofit partners, to combine science and nature to help communities across Georgia and beyond respond to floods, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and more. We are working to protect you from danger. . Bledsoe and his team focus on integrating natural infrastructure, such as rivers, healthy floodplains, and vibrant coastlines, into traditional designs to protect people, communities, and livelihoods. , focuses on resilience interfaces.
This interview with Mr. Bledsoe has been edited for length and clarity..
A phrase you and your colleagues often use is “resilient infrastructure systems.” What does that mean?
A resilient infrastructure is strong, yet flexible, and recovers quickly if something bad happens. It is a system because it is made up of physical parts, including both architectural and natural elements, as well as humans and social institutions. Our work at IRIS focuses on adapting water, transportation and energy systems to a variety of potential future conditions. Previously, these systems were designed with very specific future predictions in mind. On the other hand, resilient systems are not designed to perform well only for one future scenario. Instead, it can function across a variety of future scenarios. The most resilient infrastructure systems are those in which natural and traditional infrastructure work together.
What would be an example of such a system?
Examples of resilient systems range from living shorelines, which use natural materials such as oyster shells to stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion, to design and installation. embankment Placing them further from rivers to allow space for natural floodplains to form can reduce the risk of flooding in populated areas upstream and downstream. In both cases, natural infrastructure has an inherent ability to self-adjust to future conditions, providing benefits beyond protection from flooding and erosion, such as water quality and habitat.
How is your institute working to adapt these systems to prepare for what you call different possible future scenarios?
IRIS conducts cutting-edge research, increases awareness of natural infrastructure solutions, and develops new workforce training and education programs for future engineers and resilience professionals.
We aim to work across the entire lifecycle of resilient infrastructure projects, from early scoping and planning to design implementation, operations and maintenance. This may require determining which segments of the stream are most compromised and causing flooding problems downstream. Design river restoration projects that address risks. Provide advice on project implementation. and develop a management plan to ensure stream restoration and its benefits are sustained.
IRIS is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach to finding engineering and resilience solutions that are technically sound and innovative while providing long-term benefits to communities and ecosystems. That’s why we strive to build partnerships at every stage of a project.
Can you explain this “interdisciplinary approach” that sounds like it leverages a variety of disciplines at the University of Georgia?
Although IRIS’s core team is fairly small, our work involves faculty, staff, and students from more than a dozen disciplines across the UGA campus, including engineers, ecologists, social scientists, and economists. A good example of this interdisciplinary teamwork is research to better account for changes in flood flow, land use, and channel conditions in flood hazard maps. The study will involve engineers, meteorologists, geologists, sociologists and anthropologists to improve public communication of flood risk and understand how flood damage varies across communities and demographic groups. We help you understand more deeply. Low-income and resource-poor communities are often found to be at significantly higher risk of flooding. Understanding these patterns can help identify combinations of natural and traditional infrastructure measures to address inequalities in flood damage.
And what about the partnership you mentioned? Does that include working with organizations that are not part of the UGA community?
surely. IRIS has a wide range of partners across the nonprofit, government, and private sectors. Recent partners that come to mind include the U.S. Navy, the Georgia Department of Transportation, insurance companies, and several private engineering firms. we also cooperated Ducks Unlimiteda nonprofit organization that protects wetlands and waterfowl habitat, develops graduate student fellowships in natural infrastructure. IRIS is also partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Engineering network that utilizes nature In 2019, researchers, practitioners, and educators will come together to address key infrastructure challenges while coordinating ecological, social, and engineering processes to generate multiple benefits. Finally, we work with municipalities such as Tybee Island to help them develop and implement resilience plans.
Phrases such as “nature-based solutions” and “natural infrastructure” are also often used when talking about resilient infrastructure. What do these terms mean?
Simply put, nature-based solutions restore and design nature for the benefit of people and the environment. Nature-based solutions generally have four attributes. It performs infrastructure services such as water purification and cooling the town during high temperatures. Because they are multipurpose, flood protection measures also provide ecological and social co-benefits, for example by creating wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. Composed at least in part of natural or living materials. and be able to respond to changing circumstances and recover after disruption.
“Nature-based solutions” is a broad umbrella term, but it also includes things like restored wetlands, coral reefs, and islands that act as shock absorbers against speed bumps and storms. Forests are managed and optimized to collect, filter and return rain to groundwater, streams and rivers, leading to reduced water treatment costs. Floodplains act as pressure relief valves, reducing downstream flooding by spreading water over a wider area while slowing the rate of flooding.
You said these solutions restore nature “for the benefit of people.” Could you tell me more about that?
Natural infrastructure simultaneously provides habitat and biodiversity benefits, recreational opportunities and, in some cases, improved water quality. And public health research shows that for every dollar invested in building urban river parks, people who exercise or just get more exercise lead to fewer cardiovascular diseases, fewer diabetes, and lower mental health. It has been shown that society benefits worth every penny in terms of improved health. In nature. The air is cleaner and temperatures are more comfortable. People can be seen rafting and fishing, and the city’s biodiversity can be enjoyed by everyone from birdwatchers to kids looking for salamanders in their elementary school science classes. .
And natural infrastructure has an inherent ability to adapt to changing conditions and often has the ability to self-heal. For example, in the months and years following a disaster, flooded wetlands trap sediment, absorb nutrients, and are ultimately where plants grow. return. Have you ever seen a concrete wall rebuild itself after a storm using solar energy? But natural infrastructure can do that.
Do you have an interest in and personal connection to natural infrastructure?
I’m originally from Georgia, but lived in Colorado for many years. I moved to Fort Collins in July 1997. It was just that week. Spring Creek Flood. In the aftermath of that flood, the City of Fort Collins made major changes to its flood management programs and policies. One of the central elements of this approach was to develop an extensively interconnected network of parks, natural areas, floodplains, and trails along urban stream and river corridors. Thanks to this network of natural infrastructure, Fort Collins was virtually spared during another major flood in 2013.
Can natural infrastructure systems address the risks of disproportionately vulnerable communities?
One of our research areas is trying to improve methods of flood hazard mapping, especially across regions where different demographic groups live. For example, here in Georgia, African American and Hispanic families below the federal poverty level in the city of Athens are two to three times more likely to be at risk of flooding than the rest of the city. I understand. One of the outcomes of this work is building partnerships with local governments. Oconee River Greenway Committeeadvised the Athens-Clarke County Commissioners to share information and identify opportunities to deploy natural infrastructure to reduce flood damage for African Americans, Hispanics, and others, and the Oconee River and its tributaries. A residents’ committee that holds committees on issues related to. communities of color. We are also working with city officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, to prioritize urban river restoration sites that maximize all benefits for city residents, especially increased access to green space.
Any final thoughts?
Natural infrastructure is not an “or” situation, it is a “yes and” situation, and traditional and natural infrastructure must be integrated to provide more benefits to local communities. In Georgia, more and more communities are adopting natural stormwater infrastructure such as rain gardens and bioswales. These are vegetated channels that collect and move rainwater from paved surfaces, while also filtering it and allowing it to infiltrate into the ground. Communities are incorporating natural areas into their flood management plans. They are also restoring urban rivers. Strong efforts are underway to protect and preserve the state’s coastal wetlands and ecosystems in the face of rising sea levels and give them room to move inland from rising waters.
Farmers are also taking climate resilience seriously. They say their practices should be mindful of the effects of water use and drought, and help important species such as pollinators adapt to more extreme conditions of water availability and weather patterns. I am aware of that.
We learned that developing resilient systems is a never-ending journey. The environment we operate in is constantly changing, so we can’t take our eye off the ball.
