Designing with Nature: Brian Davis on the EWN Podcast

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Extreme weather and rising sea levels are testing America’s coastal national parks, and Professor Brian Davis, who co-directs the Natural Infrastructure Lab at UVA's School of Architecture is at the forefront of protecting these vulnerable landscapes. In the podcast, Engineering with Nature, Season 8, Episode 3, Davis joins host Sarah Thorne, Amanda Tritinger, Deputy National Lead of the Engineering with Nature (EWN) Program, and Cathy Johnson, a Coastal Ecologist with the National Park Service (NPS), to discuss using nature-based solutions to mitigate climate risks to historically- and culturally-significant sites and ecosystems.  

Davis’s collaboration with the NPS focuses on three iconic sites: Virginia’s Colonial National Historical Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park. His work integrates natural processes to reduce erosion, safeguard biodiversity, and protect historical landscapes. For example, at Assateague Island, Davis’s team is testing a “dune overwash” approach to manage erosion and maintain access to the park’s natural features. He says,
 

"Nature-based solutions bring together conservation and design, bridging the gap between preserving resources and enhancing public spaces."

Davis and Johnson—along with research collaborators from the School of Architecture, The Nature Conservancy, ETZ Strategies, and Engineering with Nature—formed the Coastal Parklands Team three years ago to respond to the growing need for adaptive strategies across the 88 coastal national park units. Their goal is to create a framework that could also guide state and local parks in using natural infrastructure to manage similar challenges. Davis emphasizes the importance of collaboration with community stakeholders and park staff who know the landscapes intimately: “Listening to people who work the land daily provides invaluable insights,” he notes, especially as climate conditions create unpredictable changes. Beyond technical solutions, Davis encourages optimism:

“The scale of these challenges can be overwhelming, but engaging with these landscapes and the people who steward them fuels hope and innovative ideas for the future."

To hear more about these impactful projects, listen to the full episode of Engineering with Nature, available on their website. There, you can also explore additional resources on nature-based solutions and climate resilience in national parks.

About Engineering with Nature

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature® (EWN) Initiative enables more sustainable delivery of economic, social, and environmental benefits associated with infrastructure. EWN brings together a growing international community of scientists, engineers, and researchers, from all kinds of disciplines to collaborate on how best to harness the power of nature to innovate, solve problems, and create sustainable solutions. This podcast tells their stories.

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