Conclusion: Making Natural Infrastructure a Priority
Learn more about the benefits of natural infrastructure in Naturally Stronger, which illustrates the importance of equitable investments in natural water infrastructure by highlighting successes across the country including contributions to national and local economies. The Conclusion sums up the importance of natural infrastructure in both urban and rural communities.
The U.S. is at an inflection point. The infrastructure upon which our society is built has aged out. As we set about the massive task of replacing it, we must seize the opportunity to build smarter: to integrate our systems across bureaucratic silos to maintain clean water and other needs in a time of change and growth; to confront our legacy of privileging wealthy communities at the expense of communities of color and low-wealth neighborhoods.
The need for lower-cost, integrated solutions to meet water infrastructure demands of the 21st century is clear. By linking natural infrastructure solutions with traditional gray infrastructure, by engaging community voices and advancing an integrated water management, or One Water, approach, we can break down “silos” to create holistic, coordinated water systems that maximize economic, social, and environmental benefits in an equitable and sustainable manner.
Communities must embrace equitable water infrastructure to ensure that the voices of underserved communities are heard, their challenges and needs identified, and their concerns addressed in a manner that engages the community and improves quality of life.
Where our planning and decision-making tables are too small or exclusive, we must make them bigger and add more chairs. The water management sector must break out of the silos that constrain diverse and innovative solutions.
We must look outside traditional policy and funding mechanisms, at every level of government, for new models that can help close the gap between our infrastructure needs and the available funds, and explore ways to drive jobs and opportunities to disadvantaged communities and companies.
Across the country, we can see examples of how to do water infrastructure right: communities continuing in the enduring American tradition of innovating our way to solutions. The challenge before us is clear. The solutions are tangible. The moment has arrived to summon the will to advance them.
Learn more about equitable investment in natural infrastructure:
· Chapter 1: Naturally Stronger
· Chapter 2: Our Communities At Risk
· Chapter 3: A New Approach to Natural Infrastructure
· Chapter 4: Natural Infrastructure: An Economic Engine
· Chapter 5: Community Benefits of Integrated Infrastructure
· Chapter 6: Funding Natural Infrastructure
