A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches

The report examines how the City of Nelson, Halifax Regional Municipality, and EPCOR integrate natural infrastructure into their water management. It highlights the use of local bylaws in Nelson, a multi-level policy hierarchy in Halifax, and a hybrid grey-natural approach by EPCOR in Edmonton to enhance climate resilience and flood mitigation.

• The City of Nelson demonstrates that small municipalities can successfully implement natural infrastructure by using local bylaws to enforce design standards. Specifically, the Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw lists "dry detention ponds, rain gardens, and swales" as acceptable alternatives for meeting stormwater requirements.
• Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) employs a comprehensive, multi-level planning hierarchy where high-level documents like the Regional Plan guide priority plans (such as the Halifax Green Network Plan and HalifACT) and secondary municipal planning strategies. This structure ensures that natural infrastructure is embedded from regional vision down to community-level implementation.
• EPCOR utilizes a hybrid infrastructure approach in Edmonton, combining natural infrastructure with traditional grey infrastructure to improve climate resilience and reduce costs. Its Stormwater Integrated Resource Plan (SIRP), a 20–30 year plan costing CAD 1.6 billion, allocates approximately 59% (CAD 940 million) specifically to low-impact development (LID) and dry ponds.
• EPCOR has standardized the design and construction of five specific types of low-impact development (LID): bioretention or rain gardens, bioretention basins, box planters, soil cells, and absorbent landscaping. These are detailed in the Stormwater Management and Design Manual, which is integrated into the City of Edmonton’s Design and Construction Standards to ensure consistency.
• Collaboration between utility providers and municipal departments is essential for scaling natural infrastructure. EPCOR coordinates with the City of Edmonton's Urban Forestry department, where EPCOR provides the soil cells and the city manages the trees, and partners with the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership for research and development.

APA

Rawluk, A., & Méthot, J. (2024). A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/natural-infrastructure-approaches.pdf

Chicago

Rawluk, Ashley, and Josée Méthot. A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/natural-infrastructure-approaches.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rawluk |first1=Ashley |last2=Méthot |first2=Josée |title=A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/natural-infrastructure-approaches.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rawluk2024scan, author = {Rawluk, Ashley and Méthot, Josée}, title = {{A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/natural-infrastructure-approaches.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }