SRS-RN: Hybrid Water Infrastructure and Regional Sustainability - Planning a Convergence Science Approach in Greater New Orleans

传统的水基础设施系统，如排水泵、防洪墙和堤坝，越来越多地融入基于自然的或绿色基础设施的特征。许多水治理机构和私人土地所有者正在规划和实施这些混合系统在大新奥尔良（GNO）地区，以应对洪水脆弱性和环境变化。这些融合了自然和建筑特征的基础设施项目是美国最重要的投资之一。然而，目前缺乏绩效标准、协调的监测、区域适用的建模工具以及使这些工具适合新地方的战略，严重限制了气候变化适应工作。例如，对排水系统的新投资是否应该在基础设施计划中考虑新建的绿色雨水集水区？如果是这样，可以开发哪些性能指标来整合这些结合的自然和工程方法？ 对可持续和自然基础设施的重大投资缺乏明确的系统定义和跨管辖区和项目的科学协调。事实上，在区域范围内对混合基础设施的投资很少，在混合和优化自然/传统方法方面仍然存在困难。该项目汇集了区域水基础设施当局，科学专家和社区组织，以组装一个完整的可持续区域系统研究网络（SRS-RN）的建议，以解决这些水治理和混合基础设施系统的水科学的联合挑战。这项规划拨款的结果，如果成功的话，可能会导致更好的方法，改善整个美国的基础设施。该规划过程的总体目标是开发一个新的跨学科计划，以整合区域科学和基础设施管理活动，并为建立混合水基础设施系统的地区创建环境监测，评估和建模的标准，指标和工具。与水基础设施相关的科学工作将根据当前和预计的当地环境、社会和建筑环境条件进行开发。这一规划过程提供了一个机会，可以制定一种纳入关键学科（例如，该报告提供了一份路线图，供不同的民间合作加速向区域可持续性的公平过渡。规划过程由一系列活动组成，旨在促进广泛的社区推广和与不同参与者和利益相关者的接触，并在团队成员之间共同生产知识，以使合作伙伴共同理解水基础设施如何影响该地区。该项目分五个阶段进行：1）网络外联、多样化和参与2）数据整理讲习班，3）实地考察和现场访问4）组建环境能力小组，5）编制完整的提案。区域可持续性问题和解决当地问题的研究方法将被确定并在更广泛的可持续性科学和工程的理论挑战和前沿中进行背景化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Traditional water infrastructure systems like drainage pumps, flood walls, and levees are increasingly incorporating nature based, or green infrastructure, features. Many water governance agencies and private landowners are planning and implementing these hybrid systems in the Greater New Orleans (GNO) area in response to flooding vulnerabilities and environmental changes. These infrastructure programs that blend natural and built features are some of the most significant investments in the United States. At present, however, a lack of performance standards, coordinated monitoring, regionally applicable modeling tools, and strategies to tailor such tools to new localities present important limitations for climate change adaptation efforts. For example, should new investments in drainage pumping systems factor in newly constructed green stormwater catchments in infrastructure plans? If so, what performance metrics can be developed to integrate these combined natural and engineered approaches? Major investments in sustainable and natural infrastructure lack clear system definitions and scientific coordination across jurisdictions and projects. Indeed, few investments in hybrid infrastructure occur at the regional scale, and difficulties in blending and optimizing natural/traditional approaches persist. This project brings together regional water infrastructure authorities, scientific experts, and community organizations to assemble a full Sustainable Regional Systems Research Network (SRS-RN) proposal to tackle these conjoined challenges of water governance and water science of hybrid infrastructure systems. The results of this planning grant, if successful, could lead to better methods of infrastructure improvement across the US. The overarching objective of this planning process is the development of a novel transdisciplinary program to integrate regional scientific and infrastructure management activities and create standards, metrics, and tools of environmental monitoring, evaluation, and modeling for regions instituting hybrid water infrastructure systems. Scientific efforts related to water infrastructure will be developed relative to current and projected local environmental, social, and built environment conditions. This planning process presents an opportunity to develop an approach to regional water science that incorporates key disciplines (e.g., geomorphology, hydro-ecology, urban and regional planning, urban development, civil engineering, urban ecology) and provides a road map for diverse civic collaboration to accelerate equitable transitions towards regional sustainability. The planning process is comprised of a sequence of activities designed to foster broad community outreach and engagement with diverse participants and stakeholders, and for knowledge co-production amongst team members to ground partners in a shared understanding of how water infrastructure impacts the region. The project is pursued through five phases: 1) Network outreach, diversification, and engagement 2) Data collation workshops, 3) Field and site visits 4) Formation of environmental competency groups, and 5) Full proposal preparation. Regional sustainability problems and research approaches that address local problems will be identified and contextualized within theoretical challenges and frontiers in sustainability science and engineering more broadly.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.