Project Overview
Whether they are natural, manmade or a combination of the two, infrastructure projects for managing water resources are not always distributed evenly across time, space, or populations. Infrastructure managers bear a responsibility for ensuring all members of a community are being fairly served by infrastructure choices. To support sustainable nature-based solutions, these managers need a clear and concise set of guidelines for incorporating equity into project decision making.
Meet the Team
Don Nelson, Ph.D.
Professor & Graduate Coordinator, UGA Department of Anthropology
dnelson@uga.edu
Katie Foster, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Network for Engineering With Nature
k.gibson@uga.edu
what we’re doing
project aim
Our goal is to develop a set of operational actions that infrastructure managers can use to meaningfully incorporate social equity into water resources decisions. To investigate the latest science and practices for incorporating social equity factors into infrastructure decisions, we will interview infrastructure professionals and scholars working in this area and examine peer-reviewed literature and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studies where equity concerns played a prominent role in decision making.
Based on our findings, we will create a framework that infrastructure managers can use for assessing social equity in project planning. This decision framework will be published in an open access peer-reviewed journal and communicated widely through channels such as webinars and trade magazines.
publications
Operationalizing equity for integrated water resources management
C. Seigerman, S.K. McKay, R. Basilio, S. Biesel, J. Hallemeier, A. Mansur, C. Piercy, S. Rowan, B. Ubiali, E. Yeates & D. Nelson.
Advancing social equity has been implicitly and explicitly central to water resources policy for decades. Yet, equity remains largely outside of standard water resources planning and management practices. Inclusion of equity within water resources infrastructure is inhibited by barriers including an incomplete conceptual understanding of equity, a perceived lack of quantitative and qualitative equity metrics, unclear connections between equity and standard project planning frameworks, and the absence of concrete examples. To facilitate greater practical inclusion of social equity in water resources practices, we describe equity relative to dimensions of distribution, procedure, and recognition and identify metrics associated with each. We then map these dimensions of equity onto different stages of a water resources project life cycle. We discuss how inequities are often perpetuated by current approaches and highlight case studies that promote one or more of the facets of equity. Rather than providing a prescriptive solution to “achieve” equity within water resources practices, we emphasize the need for contextualized approaches that include pragmatic steps toward more equitable practices and outcomes.
Challenges to realizing the potential of nature-based solutions
D. Nelson, B. Bledsoe, S. Ferreira & N. Nibbelink.
Globally, rising seas, coastal erosion, extended dry periods, and flooding contribute to decreased water security and increased disaster incidence. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly advanced as innovative responses to promote adaptation and build resilience, and they are arguably more sustainable than traditional gray infrastructure. There is a growing body of information regarding the material, social, and technological advances that constitute NBS and the ways in which nature can complement traditional built infrastructure. However, critical gaps remain. Promoting a coupled systems approach, we explore fundamental challenges, including issues of participation and equity, economic valuation, scalar mismatches, the integration of natural and built infrastructure, and governance. NBS do not entail quick solutions, and to reach their full potential NBS require a fundamental rethinking of society’s relationship with nature.
Additional Resources to Explore
More resources coming soon!
