Equitably Incorporating the Wellbeing Benefits of Nature

Project Information

A process to incorporate the benefits of nature for human wellbeing will help USACE achieve more comprehensive benefits accounting and therefore more informed project evaluation. Ideally this work, in combination with related work units, will continue to increase the EWN-centric portfolio and will support important shifts in public infrastructure planning currently underway in the nation including greater consideration of equity.

This slide has a left section with white text on a blue background that reads “Well-Being Focused Design Considerations”. The right section shows eight boxes with a gradation of color from blue to green. They read (from the top): 1. Proximity – passive regulating benefits are local; ease of getting nature “dose” and recommended physical activity. 2. Publicly accessible – routes to; mobility constraints; mentors. 3. Type and size – different people benefits from different nature. 4. Amenities – trails, benches, sports fields, gardening. 5. Safety – elements that build confidence that space is safe. 6. Quality and maintenance – important for perception and safety. 7. Distribution – site selection can improve equity/ nature-deficit. 8. Designs that maximize well-being are those that people say are good for their well-being.

Products

Presentations

Evaluating the equity of greenspace access for infrastructure planning

Presented by Caleb Sytsma [Oak Ridge Institute for Science & Education (ORISE), Oak...

Assessing Opportunities for Equitable Natural Infrastructure Planning: Accounting for Human Well-Being and Comprehensive Benefits

Presented by Ellis Kalaidjian [Oak Ridge Institute for Science & Education (ORISE),...

Human Well-Being, Equity, and Nature-Based Solutions: Assessing Opportunities for Engineering with Nature® Project Planning and Implementation

Presented by Ellis Kalaidjian [Oak Ridge Institute for Science & Education], Margar...

Publications

Human well-being and natural infrastructure: assessing opportunities for equitable project planning and implementation

There is consensus within psychological, physiological, medical, and social science dis...

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Point of Contact

Margaret Kurth

Research Environmental Engineer, Environmental Laboratory, ERDC

Research News

Signed: A New Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to Collaboratively Quantify Nature’s Benefits for Human Well-Being

A process to incorporate the benefits of nature for human well-being will help USACE achieve more comprehensive benef...

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Engagements

April

2023

EWN Researchers Present at the Stone Living Lab Conference: Nature-Based Coastal Resilience in Urban Settings

Dr. Andrew McQueen, Margaret Kurth, and Stephanie Galaitsi from the ERDC Environmental Laboratory (EL), Environmental...

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All Research Projects

Engineering With Nature® is the intentional alignment of natural and engineering processes to efficiently and sustainably deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits through collaboration.