A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches

This executive summary describes natural infrastructure approaches in Canada, highlighting how wetlands, trees, and rain gardens can complement traditional grey infrastructure to deliver municipal services like stormwater management and flood protection. It presents three 'bright spots'—the City of Nelson, Halifax Regional Municipality, and EPCOR—as illustrative models of implementation across different administrative and geographic contexts.

• Natural infrastructure, including grasslands, trees, rain gardens, and wetlands, is being used to complement traditional grey infrastructure (such as pipes and dams) to maintain municipal services like wastewater treatment, drinking water, and flood and drought protection, which are increasingly strained by climate change.
• The City of Nelson in British Columbia utilizes strong bylaws to implement natural infrastructure. Its Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw encourages the use of constructed wetlands, bioretention swales, and rain gardens for stormwater management, while its Municipal Tree Bylaw protects existing trees.
• The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) in Nova Scotia integrates natural infrastructure into its policy framework by using terms like "green infrastructure" and "natural assets" in its Regional Plan. This framework informs lower-level plans such as HalifACT, which led to a project funded by the federal Natural Infrastructure Fund to restore 555 metres of cobble beach with native vegetation and a breakwater along Shore Road to combat erosion and road washouts.
• EPCOR in Edmonton, Alberta, employs an integrated stormwater management approach, allocating approximately 59% of a CAD 1.6 billion 30-year investment to natural infrastructure. This approach is more cost-effective than a previous City of Edmonton plan, which was estimated to cost between CAD 2.2 billion and CAD 4.6 billion over 80 years and was less effective at reducing flood risk.

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-summary.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-summary.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=April 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/natural-infrastructure-approaches-summary.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 = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/natural-infrastructure-approaches-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }