A civil engineer by training, he focuses on aligning community development goals with ecological and long-term climate objectives, designing integrated strategies that blend green and gray infrastructure to build safer, more adaptable communities. He has been instrumental in building and leading our coastal resilience team, bringing together engineers, scientists, and planners to tackle complex challenges and expand the group’s impact across the region.

Chris has led major projects for the Texas General Land Office, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), including serving as engineering project manager for the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan since its inception. From storm surge protection and fast-tracked design following Hurricane Ike in Houston-Galveston to stakeholder engagement across coastal Texas, he brings a collaborative, forward-thinking approach grounded in technical excellence and a deep commitment to community resilience.

Tell us about what inspired you to work in coastal resilience.

I became a civil engineer because I wanted to work on projects that could directly benefit both the environment and the community. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of blending the power of our natural ecosystems with the practical side of engineering, and civil engineering felt like the right fit.

When I began my career, my work focused primarily on flood risk, with a particular emphasis on community resilience to flooding. Over time, I’ve been able to integrate that with my original interest in environmental stewardship. Looking back, that’s where my passion truly started. It’s been rewarding to bring those elements together under one professional umbrella, rather than specializing in just one area. I’ve always held onto the goal of doing work that helps comprehensively when possible, and that’s ultimately shaped the path of my career.

What is your favorite AECOM project that you’ve worked on and why?

My favorite project has been the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan, which has also been a foundational project for our team. We worked with the state on the first plan iteration released in 2017, then updated it in 2019 and 2023, and we’re now working on the 2028 version. It’s been a unique and rewarding opportunity, as we’ve been able to support the Texas General Land Office on this plan since its inception. The plan includes over 367 miles of coast and 3,300 miles of bays and estuaries, addressing challenges such as storm surge, sea level rise, habitat degradation, and coastal erosion. It emphasizes nature- and infrastructure-based solutions, integrating innovative methodologies like living shorelines and sediment management. The plan has resulted in the funding of hundreds of millions of dollars for coastal resilience projects along the Texas coast. I like to think that’s because we’ve put a lot of heart and effort into it, making it representative of the coastal stakeholders and ecosystems of Texas.

This work demonstrates our strong commitment to the Texas coast, its communities, ecosystems, and the complex challenges they encounter. In partnership with the General Land Office, we continuously listen to and learn from the knowledge and experiences of stakeholders, professionals, and academic experts across the entire Texas coast. Through this collaboration, we have created a set of resilient design guides for stakeholder use that translate the plan components into actionable steps.

Through these connections, we find solutions that balance environmental needs with community resilience, addressing current issues while anticipating how challenges will evolve over time. It has been an incredible chance to lead and help shape the long-term vision for the Texas coast. It’s an ongoing opportunity to better serve the state, its communities, habitats, and ecosystems, improving resilience and making the coast as safe, accessible, and sustainable as possible – a coast that many generations can enjoy.

Why is it important to take a proactive approach to coastal resilience?

Unfortunately, it feels like we have a new flood or hurricane-related disaster far too frequently these days. It often seems like we’re stuck in this constant cycle of responding to the latest disaster. Our resilience practice is working to shift that mindset from reactive to proactive. Instead of waiting for worst-case scenarios to happen, many of which are unprecedented and unexpected, we want to think ahead.

Our approach to resilience considers both what has happened and what hasn’t happened yet. How do we develop solutions — whether engineered, nature-based, gray infrastructure, green infrastructure, or a mix — that go beyond traditional methods? It’s about building on our previous knowledge but also pushing the envelope to be more innovative and thoughtful. Recently, we assisted NASA with these specific considerations by working with them at the Kennedy Space Center to assess opportunities for enhancing site resilience against coastal surge and erosion. We aimed to do this by leveraging the natural beach and dune system along the Atlantic shoreline and living shoreline on the estuarine shores.

A big part of this is recognizing that we can’t just build stronger infrastructure. We also need to educate and inform communities, sharing knowledge and helping residents become responsible stewards of their environment — whether that’s the coast, river systems, or flood-prone areas. Fostering that awareness and centering it in a community’s culture is key. As an example, we partnered with FEMA and The Nature Conservancy in Puerto Rico to develop job aids for local communities, providing a technical foundation to assist them in transitioning from traditional infrastructure designs to natural and nature-based solutions along sandy shorelines, riverine streambanks, and urban stormwater systems.

Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the need to respond repeatedly to disasters by implementing measures beforehand. That way, when events do happen, their negative impacts are mitigated because proactive steps were taken. That’s the heart of what we’re trying to do with resilience.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

As an individual member of the public, a lot of the work our team does tends to be expected — or even taken for granted. People don’t expect heavy rainfall to disrupt their ability to get to work on any given day, much less cause loss of life. Often, we’re fortunate enough to expect those kinds of events won’t happen, or at least that they’ll remain extreme exceptions.

What we try to do is make resilience and hazard mitigation fundamental — something that happens quietly behind the scenes. In an ideal world, much of what we do goes unnoticed by the public because it’s so reliable. At the same time, we want people to become more knowledgeable and aware of these issues through education and outreach, whether it’s working with schools, running public campaigns, or providing resources.

It’s about cutting through some of the bigger challenges in society, like politics or funding limitations, and focusing on what matters most: projects that truly benefit the public. What’s critical to us is not just the technical excellence of our work, but also making positive impacts and changing perspectives. That way, awareness of resilience becomes less of an exception and more a part of how communities understand and prepare for their environment.

Share a piece of career advice.

First, as a young engineer, scientist, planner, or any other professional, it’s essential to diversify. Find opportunities that allow you to work in different spaces, take on different types of projects, and learn new skills. That versatility benefits you by keeping your career from becoming repetitive and provides a broader range of exposure to unique projects.

Second, take initiative. Do what’s in front of you, but don’t be afraid to express interest in other areas. If you hear about something that excites you, reach out — whether it’s within your group or another one — and have a conversation to learn more. Authentic interest is what makes a real difference. We want to work with people who are genuinely invested in the work, because that’s when you do your best work.

The post The importance of coastal resilience: Meet Chris Levitz appeared first on Blog.

As a leader in our Civil Works department, Kimberly Heenan brings a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic vision, and deep personal commitment to infrastructure resilience. With more than 19 years of experience and over $2.5 billion in constructed projects, she has led the inspection, assessment, design and construction of levees, floodwalls, dams, floodgates and stormwater pump stations across the U.S.

Kimberly’s portfolio spans more than 275 miles of levee systems and 35 dams, supporting agencies such as the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), United States International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC), and USACE Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). Under her leadership, our civil works team has grown into a nationally connected group equipped to take on the country’s most complex water infrastructure challenges. Whether managing risk assessments, engineering solutions for flood protection, or guiding large-scale alternatives analyses, Kimberly is driven by one goal: protecting communities and helping them thrive.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

Hurricane Katrina occurred while I was in college, and when I saw the devastation, I felt a deep calling to do something. I wanted to help fix the levees and to be part of the recovery. I remember students from Louisiana State University, Tulane University, and other universities relocating to Texas A&M, where I was attending. Their experiences really stayed with me — I just kept thinking, what can I do?

At the time, I was still finding my footing and building confidence in my ability to be an engineer. Then, during a career day event, I handed my resume to a representative from AECOM. They passed it along, and shortly after, I received a call about a junior Geotechnical Engineer position — working on the levees in New Orleans that had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It felt like a sign. Even though I was nervous about moving to the big city, I accepted the offer and committed fully to the opportunity. I worked long hours, asked questions, and soaked up knowledge from teammates who loved to teach. It was a chance to contribute to something deeply meaningful — something that had personally impacted me — and that experience became the turning point that truly anchored me in this field and shaped the trajectory of my career.

What is your favorite AECOM project that you’ve worked on and why?

Obviously, the New Orleans levee project will always mean a lot to me. But another that stands out is the Freeport Levee Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) project. Unfortunately, the client’s funding limitations meant we couldn’t finish the project, but it gave us the space to build something special at AECOM — a civil works group that can operate from anywhere in the country and work with anyone. 

Over the course of the work we were able to complete, we grew from a team of just six people to about 20. And it wasn’t just our group working on the project. At one point, there were over 100 people across AECOM contributing.

The project raised our team’s visibility and gave us this incredible experience with the Galveston Corps of Engineers District. The Gulf Coast region is facing significant challenges from rising sea levels, aging infrastructure, and increasingly severe storm events. The experience positioned us to contribute meaningfully to future critical resilience work still needed across this part of the country.

And honestly, I just loved the team. The people on that project made it a favorite, too.

How has the growth of AECOM’s civil works team prepared us to meet the infrastructure resilience challenges of communities?  

For me, it means having a team I can rely on to help design these incredible levee systems that protect people and communities, so they never have to go through something like Hurricane Katrina again. Building a civil works team that can do this work, and do it well, has always been deeply meaningful.

Many of these flood risk projects are happening in communities that have historically been underserved. It’s not just about protecting property. It’s about protecting lives, bringing peace of mind, and in many cases, helping families financially by lowering flood insurance costs. Everyone deserves that kind of security, no matter where they live.

We’re at a critical moment in the U.S. Much of the nation’s infrastructure, including levees, floodwalls, and protection systems, was designed to last about 50 years. That time has passed. I knew we had to grow our civil works team because I knew these projects were coming. These systems either start to fail, or they get updated. Too often, people only pay attention after a catastrophic failure, but we shouldn’t have to wait for that to happen.

To me, this work is about making sure we don’t wait — that we’re ready. When we bring new people onto the team, we look for those who are driven by purpose, who genuinely want to make a difference in people’s lives. That’s what it’s all about.

Share a piece of career advice.

My dad coached women’s basketball, and he used to say something that stuck with me: “It doesn’t have to be perfect.” He noticed that many players would hesitate, waiting for the perfect moment to take a shot and by then, the opportunity was gone.

He taught me there are only three outcomes: you miss and the other team gets the rebound, you miss and your team gets the rebound and you get to try again, or you make it. Two out of three isn’t bad. I’ve carried that with me throughout my career. When I’m facing a challenge, I remind myself not to wait for perfect. Just take the shot and keep moving forward.

The post People Spotlight: Meet Kimberly Heenan appeared first on Blog.

We’re spotlighting our Veterans Champion and project manager from our Buildings and Places business in the UK, Thomas Westlake, whose experience and continued contributions are helping shape how we support veterans across our organization. Their insight is helping us build a more inclusive, resilient, and supportive workplace for those transitioning from military to industry life.

Thomas Westlake is from our Project Management team in London and works predominantly in the Security and Resilience sector. He has been with AECOM since 2023, following a career in the British Armed Forces. Thomas works on projects across government, public sector, defense, and disaster management, coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders and teams. His projects have been across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

After serving in the British Army for eight years, I was eager to find a career where I could apply the skills I had developed and continue doing work that made a real difference. A friend who was working at AECOM at the time introduced me to the company. What stood out was the scale of the projects, the global footprint, and the opportunity to contribute to work with real-world impact, particularly in areas like infrastructure, security, and resilience. Project management felt like a natural transition from the armed forces, and AECOM offered the structure and opportunities to grow in that space. My role within the defence and government sectors allows me to contribute to meaningful projects in the UK and overseas. It’s rewarding to be part of efforts that help safeguard communities and protect national interests while supporting international efforts to foster resilience and enhance security.

What is your favorite AECOM project that you’ve worked on and why?

One of my most fulfilling projects was delivering a resilience assessment of six emergency shelters in the Turks and Caicos Islands. These shelters are crucial during hurricane season, providing protection to local communities when extreme weather hits. I led the assessment on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), working closely with some outstanding specialist consultants, local government representatives, and community leaders.

Our team conducted on-the-ground inspections, assessing compliance of six key areas: structural integrity, fire safety, hygiene facilities, security, accessibility, and gender sensitivity. We also reviewed emergency plans and practices and spoke with key stakeholders and residents to understand local needs and context.

What I enjoyed most was the challenge of building trust quickly, navigating cultural differences, and shaping practical, community-led solutions. Based on our findings, we made clear, actionable recommendations, ranging from structural improvements to clearer roles, better coordination between agencies, and enhancements to better support women, children, and other vulnerable groups.

The project helped strengthen local preparedness by addressing key vulnerabilities ahead of the next hurricane season and empowering local teams to lead the changes. It was a project where the impact was clear, the collaboration was strong, and the work genuinely helped improve readiness on the ground. That made it a particularly rewarding experience for me.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

After being appointed Veterans Champion for AECOM, I have taken a leading role in organising the AECOM Armed Forces and Veteran Industry Insight Programme in the UK and Ireland. This initiative was developed to support individuals transitioning from military to industry careers by providing a platform to explore opportunities and access a dedicated support network.

The event highlighted diverse career pathways and demonstrated our ongoing commitment to veterans, service leavers, and reservists through targeted training, mentoring and advocacy. It underscored the wide range of roles available across the organisation and the broader industry — from project management to leadership positions — many of which align closely with the skills veterans bring from their military service.

The event also created a valuable space for attendees to connect with industry professionals, gain insights into civilian work environments, and explore new career possibilities. A key focus was on recognising and translating the transferable skills veterans possess — such as leadership, problem-solving, resilience and teamwork — into meaningful opportunities in the industry workforce.

The event’s success was reflected in the positive feedback we received and the stories of participants who left with renewed confidence, many now actively considering careers in project management. Looking ahead, we are committed to building on this momentum. I have begun developing an internal veterans’ network to foster a sense of community, provide peer support, and ensure that the voices and experiences of veterans are reflected across the organisation.

Share a piece of career advice

Embrace transferable skills and be open to new opportunities. My transition from the British Army to project management wasn’t straightforward. No matter where you start or what your background is, the experiences you’ve gained and skills you have developed are often more transferable than you realise, trust in them and don’t hesitate to step outside your comfort zone.

The post People Spotlight: Meet Thomas Westlake appeared first on Blog.

The Global ABC program plays a crucial role in reshaping the future of our built environment. Their mission is clear: to create a resilient, decarbonized built environment to improve people’s lives, and to represent this critical sector at future COP summits.

This year’s discussions zeroed in on a core truth: we cannot meet climate goals without transforming the buildings sector — and we must do so in a way that prioritizes both decarbonization and climate resilience equally. Buildings are responsible for nearly 37 percent of global CO₂ emissions, and with half the 2050 global building stock yet to be constructed, the stakes and opportunities are enormous.

Beyond emissions, the transformation of our built environment must also maximize social value by enhancing affordability, health and inclusion. Circularity and the principles of near-zero emission and resilient buildings must be embedded throughout the entire construction value chain, from pre-tender design decisions through procurement and post-construction operations, ensuring a comprehensive, lasting impact.

Key challenges in decarbonizing the global built environment

Launched at COP28 in Dubai in 2023, the Buildings Breakthrough initiative aims to make near-zero emission and climate-resilient buildings the global standard by 2030. It offers a shared policy and technical framework to guide national action across five priority areas: standards, demand creation, finance, research and skills development.

While this provides much needed direction, there are six significant barriers to meaningful progress:

1. Policy gaps and inconsistent frameworks

 Although 136 countries reference buildings in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), most lack concrete policies or actions targeting the buildings and construction sector.  Approaches and ambition levels vary widely, making global coordination difficult. The absence of harmonized definitions and overarching frameworks further complicates efforts to align and measure progress.

2. Support for developing and emerging economies

Under-developed and emerging nations need greater support in developing and implementing effective roadmaps, policy tools and regulations. However, challenges such as capacity building, knowledge sharing, and access to finance are not limited to these regions — they are systemic issues that must be addressed across the global program to ensure equitable and inclusive progress.

3. Financing barriers

Mobilizing finance continues to be a major hurdle. Key challenges include the need for innovative financial instruments, risk mitigation strategies, and the mobilization of private sector investment to support large-scale decarbonization projects.

4. Slow renovation and delivery risks

The rate of building renovation remains far too slow to meet climate targets. Retrofits are often seen as risky due to cost uncertainty, performance variability, and supply chain limitations. Extending the life of existing buildings is essential but requires clearer strategies and market mechanisms to accelerate delivery.

5. Embodied carbon and materials

With roughly half of the 2050 building stock yet to be constructed, addressing embodied carbon is increasingly urgent. Circularity, material reuse, new technologies and lifecycle emissions must be prioritized from the earliest planning stages.

6. Supply chain complexity

Delivering low-carbon goals depends on coordinated action across fragmented supply chains. Collaboration between manufacturers, contractors, designers and policymakers is critical to scale solutions effectively.

While global frameworks like the Buildings Breakthrough provide much-needed alignment and momentum, addressing these persistent, on-the-ground challenges is essential to deliver a built environment that is truly zero-emission, resilient and inclusive.

Accelerating action for a resilient built environment

To meet global climate goals, urgent action is needed across the lifecycle of buildings — from design and construction to operations and materials. While roadmaps have been created by the Global ABC to establish a common approach across planning, building design, operations, systems, materials, resilience and clean energy, implementation remains fragmented.

Two-thirds of countries currently lack voluntary minimum energy performance codes. The goal is for most new buildings to achieve whole-life net-zero carbon emissions.

The key actions these countries should look to take include:

• Developing national roadmaps and mandatory building codes.
• Reducing reliance on mechanical space conditioning.
• Cutting embodied carbon.
• Increasing public awareness and transparency.
• Governments leading by example, especially by implementing policy for public buildings.

Driving decarbonization across building operations and materials

Few buildings currently use tools for energy performance management. To reach operational net-zero, the sector must adopt rating tools, energy audits, smart controls and building passports. These technologies offer practical pathways to improving efficiency and reducing emissions at scale.

Addressing the embodied carbon from building materials is crucial, as it remains a major emissions source often overlooked. Priorities include data collection, integrating embodied carbon into regulations, supporting reuse and circular models, stimulating demand for low-carbon products, and accelerating R&D in manufacturing decarbonization. Although methodologies for net-zero buildings exist, their widespread implementation is lacking due to inconsistent incentives and global inconsistency. The sector must embrace whole-life carbon principles through harmonized accounting, open data, and standardized targets. Industry-led carbon pricing and transition risk assessments are vital for valuing the cost of inaction.

By aligning operational tools, material innovation and financial strategies, the building sector can achieve global decarbonization and resilience, impacting both existing and future building stock.

The post Transforming the built environment for decarbonization and resilience appeared first on Blog.

Helen is a seasoned economist with extensive experience in consultancy and public policy, specializing in natural capital and environmental economics. At AECOM, she leads projects on natural capital assessment, nature strategy, and investment in nature-based solutions. Previously, she served as a senior economic adviser at Defra, contributing significantly to the early development of natural capital expertise in government. Helen also has broad experience in the water sector, where she led a program to enhance societal valuation evidence for a water company’s 2019 Price Review.

What inspired you to join the industry?

I was driven by the chance to apply my expertise in environmental economics and natural capital to demonstrate the value of considering nature-related impacts and dependencies in projects. This approach helps clients achieve better outcomes. Additionally, working with talented, multidisciplinary teams at AECOM has been a constant source of inspiration.

My motivation for entering the industry stemmed from a desire to apply economics to real-world policy challenges that have meaningful impacts on both people and the environment. At the time, environmental issues were often viewed as peripheral rather than fundamental to economic decision-making. This led me to pursue a Master of Science degree in Environmental Economics at University College London (UCL), where I gained the analytical tools to help integrate environmental considerations into economic policy and investment decisions more effectively.

What is your favorite AECOM project that you’ve worked on and why?

One of my favourite projects was working for a major water company in the UK on their natural capital strategy. The project took a holistic approach to embedding natural capital throughout the business from working on their strategy to developing tools and processes to embed natural capital in their business appraisal processes. We helped make the case for nature-based solutions such as a constructed wetland to remove pollution, which are cost-effective, and identified priority areas in a catchment where the water company could deliver the most benefits by working with partners.

 One part of the project was to develop a first set of catchment accounts for the region. Catchment accounts provide a record of the natural assets in a region and how they are faring in terms of the services delivered. Monitoring these assets provides crucial evidence to help ensure sustainable delivery of water services. It was satisfying to see how this information could provide new insights for the company and help prompt thinking on priorities for working in catchments on nature-based actions. We helped demonstrate which sectors and what locations in the catchments were most influencing water quality which provided them an opportunity for better targeting of actions.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

Natural capital is all about showing how nature as an asset delivers benefits to communities and making sure that it is not forgotten in decisions. We recently worked with a client to provide evidence of the significant benefits of their investment in a site to open it up for recreation and access. The analysis demonstrated that there were significant net benefits of proposed investment actions – in addition to recreation, this also included carbon, biodiversity and resilience (flood risk mitigation) benefits. Having a chance to visit the site and to see first-hand the restoration activity and plans for the site was a great way for me to understand what an important greenspace resource it would be for local communities.

Share a piece of career advice.

Don’t be afraid to seek advice on your career from an early stage, consider a mentor to provide an external perspective and look for opportunities for new challenges to gain insight on what you want from your career in the long term.

The post People Spotlight: Helen Dunn appeared first on Blog.

Tom Fini is Process Mechanical Lead for AECOM’s New York Metro region, specializing in the design of pumping systems, force mains, and water, wastewater, and stormwater treatment facilities. As a member of our Process Mechanical and Pumping Systems Technical Practice Group, Tom oversees standards, master specifications, and the design of mechanical process systems, materials handling, and chemical storage and feed systems.

In this Deep Dive, we are highlighting how Tom and his team enhanced the reliability of New York City’s sewer infrastructure by rehabilitating the Avenue U Pumping Station, while implementing innovative strategies to ensure uninterrupted operations during the upgrade.

In urban environments, rehabilitating critical infrastructure like pumping stations presents a unique set of challenges, especially when continuous operation is non-negotiable. The Avenue U Pumping Station rehabilitation project in Brooklyn, New York City (NYC), exemplifies innovative engineering solutions to these challenges. The pumping station serves the community by collecting and pumping wastewater from the surrounding area to the treatment facility, preventing flooding and ensuring the safe and reliable conveyance of sewage. It plays a critical role in protecting public health and maintaining environmental standards in Brooklyn.

Serving the community for decades, the station faced aging equipment, structural vulnerabilities and limited operational flexibility. The challenge, therefore, was to modernize the station while keeping it fully operational throughout the construction process. The project is not only addressing immediate infrastructure needs but also serves as a model for future rehabilitation efforts. As cities worldwide grapple with aging infrastructure, the lessons from Avenue U will guide engineers and policymakers in maintaining essential services during complex upgrades.

Tell us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it delivering a better world?

The Avenue U Pumping Station is certainly one of the most impactful projects I’ve delivered. As the design manager for this project, I led a multidisciplinary team to address the complex challenges of upgrading this critical piece of infrastructure while ensuring uninterrupted operations. The Avenue U Pumping Station is a cornerstone of the city’s wastewater management system, and its rehabilitation is essential to ensure the long-term reliability and resilience of this vital infrastructure.

With the design phase now complete and the project moving into the bid phase, we are one step closer to realizing the tangible outcomes of this work. The upgrades will improve the operational efficiency of the pumping station, reducing the risk of system failures and extending its service life by decades. This will directly contribute to environmental sustainability by preventing potential wastewater overflows, which can have severe ecological and public health impacts. Notably, this project is pursuing at least Gold Envision Certification, underscoring its commitment to sustainability and resilience. Economically, the project will ensure uninterrupted wastewater services for thousands of residents and businesses, avoiding costly disruptions and maintaining the quality of life in the community.

Upholding our Sustainable Legacies principles, the project aligns with our commitment to sustainable infrastructure. By implementing innovative solutions to maintain continuous operations during construction, we are minimizing the project’s environmental footprint and ensuring positive social impacts by safeguarding essential services for the community.

What was a key challenge you/your team faced while working on this project? How did you solve it?

The primary challenge was designing a rehabilitation plan for the pumping station that would allow it to remain fully operational throughout the construction process. This required developing a comprehensive bypass pumping system capable of handling the station’s full capacity without interrupting service. The complexity of working in a dense urban environment, with limited space and strict regulatory requirements, added another layer of difficulty.

As the design manager, I played a central role in coordinating with the client, contractors, and other stakeholders to develop an innovative bypass system that is both constructible and resilient. My responsibilities included managing the design team, ensuring seamless communication across disciplines, and aligning our approach with the client’s goals and regulatory requirements. We conducted detailed hydraulic modeling and risk assessments to ensure the system could handle peak flows and unexpected scenarios. One key innovation was incorporating an interconnecting pipe between two influent manholes at the pumping station, replicating existing conditions and enhancing system flexibility.

A memorable breakthrough moment came when we finalized the design of the bypass system, ensuring it met all operational and regulatory requirements. This was a testament to the team’s meticulous planning, collaboration and leadership. My role involved not only bringing unique ideas to the table, such as optimizing the layout of the bypass system to minimize space requirements but also ensuring that these ideas were executed effectively through close coordination with all parties involved.

How has AECOM enabled you and your teams to cultivate the expertise needed to deliver the Avenue U Pumping Station rehabilitation project — and future work like it?

AECOM has been instrumental in providing the resources, support and collaborative environment needed to deliver complex projects like the Avenue U Pumping Station rehabilitation. Our emphasis on technical excellence and innovation allowed our team to leverage cutting-edge tools and methodologies, such as advanced hydraulic modeling. In particular, AECOM’s Water Technical Academy has been an invaluable resource, offering specialized courses on water and wastewater engineering topics that have deepened our team’s expertise and kept us at the forefront of industry advancements.  As the design manager, I drew on our global expertise and best practices to guide the team and deliver a design that meets the client’s needs.

This project has also provided an excellent opportunity for professional growth. I was able to develop new skills in project management, stakeholder coordination and innovative problem-solving. Additionally, I had the chance to mentor junior team members, helping them broaden their expertise in process mechanical design. Leading a diverse team through such a complex project reinforced the importance of clear communication, adaptability and fostering a collaborative culture.

The lessons learned from this project have prepared me and my team to tackle similar challenges in the future. We’ve gained valuable insights into designing resilient infrastructure in urban environments and maintaining operational continuity during complex upgrades. This experience has shaped my approach to future work, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, innovation, and sustainability in delivering infrastructure solutions that truly make a difference.

The post Deep Dive with Tom Fini appeared first on Blog.

Cynthia Hartley’s background includes nearly two decades in the international development sector. Since joining AECOM in 2016, she has focused on projects ranging from economic growth, urban resilience and environment to disaster risk management, from both the business development and project implementation sides. Cynthia works closely with our clients to pinpoint challenges and engineer solutions aimed at bolstering their effectiveness in mitigating disaster losses. She also provides technical assistance for infrastructure grant applications. Her love for meeting and engaging with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds to strengthen communities inspires her work.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

I’ve always been an advocate for safeguarding our environment and fostering community growth. In graduate school, I wrote my thesis on the expansion of an environmental engineering firm (MWH, now Stantec) into developing countries. The next year, I entered the Architecture and Engineering (A/E) industry working for the very same company. Several years later, I experienced firsthand the impact that natural hazards, in particular, Superstorm Sandy, can have on communities. This led me to advance my commitment and work in environmental protection, disaster risk management, and resilience, specifically in the A/E industry. In a lot of ways, it’s a continuation of the international development work I did previously. My work in our industry aligns with my desire to have a broader impact on society and leave a legacy.

What is your favorite AECOM project that you’ve worked on and why?

A common theme that runs through all my favorite projects is strategic planning and problem solving. I recently worked with West Virginia’s State Resiliency Office to develop a forward-thinking strategic plan for the state. This involved understanding West Virginia’s historical successes, aggregating its diverse challenges and needs, identifying its strengths, and filling in the gaps to meet the objectives of a legislative mandate for a statewide resiliency plan. We worked with stakeholders who care deeply about resilience and disaster risk reduction to update the state’s flood strategy for the first time in 20 years. The two-year Flood Resiliency Plan we helped develop identifies the actions needed to achieve the greatest impact for flood resiliency in West Virginia.

One of the next steps will be to develop an education and outreach strategy to identify ways to reach all people, including local and marginalized communities. In international development terms, reaching the last mile includes reaching people at the lowest economic rungs of society, people with disabilities, and the aging population — people who do not have (or have limited) access to the internet or the information it provides. We also need to reach private sector businesses that employ people from West Virginia’s communities and depend on them to generate revenue. If you’re a dairy provider in West Virginia and the roads are closed or lives are at risk due to flooding, people will not be able to access or afford your products and your employees will not be able to show up for work. By reaching the private sector and communities, we can make this a “whole-of-society” approach, because everyone has a stake in this. We’re also starting to work with the State Resiliency Office to develop a grants management program and a grants management training manual to help raise the funds needed for outreach and education and implementation of the flood resiliency plan.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

At AECOM, I’ve been able to reach across geographies and engage with my colleagues throughout the world — from offices in South Africa, Romania, Australia, Spain, and elsewhere — to share knowledge and exchange lessons learned, improving upon what we know to benefit the global community. And that’s how I find the greatest fulfillment — by collaborating with diverse people and groups to help the whole of society.

A key focus of my work at AECOM has been helping countries, states, and cities develop strategies to build resiliency. This has included initiatives with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Agency for International Development, UN’s Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Reduction (UNDRR), and ARISE-US, the U.S. chapter of the UNDRR. AECOM was one of the founding members of ARISE-US and through that engagement we developed the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities. I helped UNDRR review the Government of Bulgaria’s first disaster risk reduction strategy, and as part of FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance program, I worked closely with FEMA headquarters, leading a root cause analysis of its grants administration process to reduce the time it takes to obligate funding to the communities that need it the most. In all these initiatives, I’ve engaged with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds to help communities overcome adversities and become more resilient.

Share a piece of career advice

Stay true to your passion and goals. If you have a fire in your belly to do something, then pursue it. Consider the multitude of opportunities that will present themselves as you pursue a particular goal. You may have to diverge at a point to something that’s tangentially related to what you want to pursue, and that’s OK, because it will help build your strengths more broadly and provide you with one more tool in your toolbox.

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Read more about the winning projects submitted by AECOM and on behalf of our clients below and in greater detail at EBJ and CCBJ.

AECOM Diversity and Inclusion: Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) Launched
Won by: AECOM
Award: EBJ, Diversity and Inclusion

AECOM launched a robust Employee Resource Group (ERG) program with six groups worldwide: Women’s Leadership Alliance, Ethnic Diversity Network (Europe), BeBOLD, Pride, Juntos and Mosaic, with plans to expand. These employee-led teams have executive-level sponsorship, formal business outcomes, and charters and by-laws, creating a sense of belonging and generating an inclusive environment. ERGs are the latest addition to AECOM’s award-winning ED&I initiatives and support AECOM’s ED&I pledge, “When we feel free to be ourselves, we thrive.”

Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) 1^st U.S. Digital Interactive Tier-1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Won by: Arizona Department of Transportation
Award: EBJ, Project Merit: Interactive Transportation EIS

The Federal Highway Administration and ADOT published the first fully interactive transportation Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the U.S. This new format is easily accessible, user-friendly and includes digital features such as zoom-in-maps and clickable layers of information. Regulators and the public were engaged and gained a deep project understanding, demonstrated by 3,000 views of the digital EIS in just 75 days. The groundbreaking platform facilitated a broader, more inclusive audience than traditional EISs and set the bar for industry transformation.

BASF Rensselaer Ecosystem Restoration Project
Won by: BASF
Award: EBJ, Project Merit: Hudson River Remediation

Hudson River sediment adjacent to the nation’s oldest dye manufacturing facility in New York was historically impacted by a variety of inorganic and organic compounds. Remediation included 39,000 cubic yards of dredging, installation of a five-acre sub-aqueous cap and habitat restoration. AECOM’s ecologically enhanced sub-aqueous cover system created a series of ecological habitats, allowing wildlife to move freely between the river and the upland buffer in this urbanized environment. The remedy is fully integrated with BASF’s larger sustainable site development and Engineering with Nature goals.

Coal Ash into Cement: Innovative CCR Pond Closure Design
Won by: CenterPoint Energy
Award: EBJ, Project Merit: Ash-to-Cement

CenterPoint Energy created a complex, ash-to-cement solution involving removal of approximately 6.8 million tons of ponded coal ash, resulting in restoration of a former stream valley in Indiana. AECOM constructed an innovative mile-long pipe conveyor and repurposed a barge-loading facility for transport of select ash to a cement plant. Laboratory results characterizing the ash’s composition were built into a 3D environmental visualization model to guide material reclamation. This pond closure project reduces landfill waste, reduces costs to end-users, protects groundwater and restores the environment.

Digital AECOM
Won by: AECOM
Award: EBJ, New Practice Area, Digital Consulting & Software

AECOM established a brand new, global digital practice around three pillars: creating world-class software for the digital marketplace; advancing customer-focused, digital consulting/advisory; and ensuring internal digital excellence. At market entry, AECOM released two environmental and ESG-related applications: PlanEngage and SewerLogic. Because its consulting/advisory applications portfolio has grown so large, AECOM developed a fully interactive, digital exhibition for customers. AECOM is organically building a world-class global digital organization driven by multi-year investments.

Sustainable Legacies
Won by: AECOM
Award: EBJ, Industry Leadership

AECOM’s Sustainable Legacies environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy embeds sustainable development and resilience across our work, improves social outcomes, targets net-zero emissions and enhances governance. Our ambition is to achieve science-based net-zero, having already achieved operational net-zero in 2021. ScopeX commits us to 50% carbon reduction from major projects. Our Thrive EDI program delivers social equity by understanding community needs and incorporating them throughout our work, and our enhanced enterprise risk framework assesses and mitigates ESG risk in potential projects.

Climate Resilience Study for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)
Won by: Airport Authority Hong Kong
Award: CCBJ, Industry Leadership: Airport Resilience

AECOM crafted a Climate Resilience Study to review and strengthen HKIA’s operational resilience and adaptive capacity to a changing climate. The study used scenario analysis to develop a climate adaptation and resilience plan based on prioritized physical climate risks to key assets and operations, and a transition risk analysis to examine potential impacts associated with the transition to a low-carbon economy. HKIA is one of the first Asian airports to publish a Taskforce on Climate-related Finance Disclosures Statement, setting precedence for other airports.

Henvey Inlet/Nigig Power/Pattern Canada
Won by: Nigig Power/Pattern Canada
Award: CCBJ, Project Merit: Low Carbon Energy

Henvey Inlet First Nation ⁠— through its subsidiary Nigig Power Corporation — partnered with Pattern Canada to develop the 300 MW Henvey Inlet Wind LP project, generating clean, renewable energy for approximately 100,000 Ontario homes. This one-of-a-kind venture is both the largest single-phase wind project in Ontario and Canada’s largest First Nation wind partnership. AECOM obtained the environmental permits/approvals and coordinated and implemented an environmental management system. AECOM also executed environmental construction monitoring to minimize harm to species-at-risk.  

Natural Capital Laboratory (NCL)
Won by: AECOM, The Lifescape Project, Emilia and Roger Leese, The University of Cumbria
Award: CCBJ, Industry Leadership: Natural Capital

The Natural Capital Laboratory in Scotland develops innovative approaches for tackling biodiversity and climate emergencies, with a focus to reduce costs of acquiring and analyzing data through technology to remotely monitor and support estimates of environmental net gain. The 100-acre living laboratory documents site rewilding, testing and trialing technologies to measure and monitor environmental change. The team’s 60 specialists bring expertise in rewilding, natural capital, ecology, water, landscape management, acoustics, AI, VR and stakeholder engagement. NCL also collects information around the environmental, economic and social impacts of rewilding by developing models and valuation estimates. 

Systemwide Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Transportation Major
Won by: Metrolink
Award: CCBJ, Project Merit: Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience

As the United States’ third largest passenger rail system, Metrolink has long been prepared to handle periodic flooding, wildfires and go-slow heat orders. However, with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and a large dependent population, Metrolink commissioned AECOM to complete a systemwide Climate Vulnerability Assessment/Adaptation Plan. Leveraging stakeholder insight, AECOM developed climate adaptation strategies to address the most vulnerable parts and users of the network. Strategies were prioritized by assessing feasibility and co-benefits and cost-of-inaction case studies, organized into an actionable implementation plan. 

Victorian Government Rail Infrastructure Alliance
Client: Rail Projects Victoria
Submitter:  The Rail Infrastructure Alliance (RIA), comprising John Holland, CPB Contractors, AECOM, Rail Projects Victoria and Metro Trains Melbourne
Award: CCBJ, Advancing Best Practices: GHG Mitigation

The Metro Tunnel Project creates an end-to-end rail line to untangle the City Loop so more trains can run across Melbourne, Australia. RIA’s strategic and innovative approach to delivering sustainable outcomes integrated sustainability into plans, designs and delivery. Poured concrete is tracking 43% reduction of Portland cement, equaling 25,129 tCO2-e embodied emissions saved. The project also saved 988 tCO2-e of embodied emissions through smart design and sustainable materials in the bridge, while purchasing 100% GreenPower for the three main site offices. Biodiesel generators with B20 biodiesel fuel powered lighting/ventilation units for tunnel works.

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Working with nature to enhance urban and coastal resilience is a logical approach to counter the effects of climate change. Asia is rich in natural resources, but investments at large scale implementations have been relatively low.  Southeast Asia alone has 200 million hectares of terrestrial forests and is home to the world’s largest potential blue carbon stock – degraded coastal wetlands that (if restored) can sequester large amounts of carbon. 

Recently, I spoke on this topic at a seminar co-organized by AECOM and the Singapore Economic Development Board, with panelists including Indranee Rajah, Minister in Singapore Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development. From government authorities to local investors, city stakeholders all know that climate action is redefining the global economy – and we discussed the potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) in helping cities rise to the challenge.

To date, much of the focus has been on decarbonization efforts, but they won’t be enough to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We need to think about complementary strategies such as carbon sequestration, and we also need to take steps to mitigate the effects of climate change. In both areas, NbS can play a big role. 

Investment needs to be unlocked in NbS to achieve its full potential. The bankability of NbS projects is not always immediately apparent, but a strong public-private partnership model can help with this by balancing and mitigating investment risks, alleviating concerns, providing investors some levels of assurance on their returns on investment, while bridging readily available capital to getting sustainable infrastructure projects off the ground.

Several Asian cities have already begun adopting this approach and some of the lessons learned in places such as Singapore, Shenzen and Hong Kong include:

• Singapore is among the first countries globally to set robust governance standards for carbon emissions. These include compatible definitions and taxonomies for NbS, and a consistent set of global standards for disclosures and reporting. If properly structured, investment in nature can be a new asset class which will drive capital to larger scale implementations.
• In Shenzhen, one of China’s early adopters of the “sponge city” concept, which aims to control and mitigate flooding, water pollution and scarcity, and home to the iconic Dasha River Ecological Corridor, the city utilizes techniques and green infrastructure retrofits such as permeable pavements, green rooftops, bioswales and constructed wetlands at a variety of scales to reduce the intensity of rainwater runoff, enhancing absorption capacities across the city.
• In Hong Kong, the award-winning design for the Tung Chung East Reclamation Eco-Shoreline created a new type of urban seaside, developed to add ecological value to waterfront reclamation infrastructure while simultaneously providing public open space and protecting against coastal storms and sea-level rise.

The lessons and proof points in these cities underline possibilities. If we can create the environment that unlock the value of NbS, we will have a good chance to create resilient urban ecosystems that help mitigate man-made climate change.

The post Unlocking the potential of nature-based solutions in Asia appeared first on Blog.

The driving rain of the hurricane and the falling ash and flames of the wildfire are putting our critical infrastructure to the test as the frequency and intensity of natural disasters increases around the world. When showtime arrives, nobody wants it to fail.

People want to be confident in the resiliency of their critical infrastructure – utilities, transport, emergency services – particularly during extreme weather events. To deliver this, we must spend the seemingly boring sunny days in between reimagining our critical infrastructure so that when extreme weather does arrive, we’re prepared.

At the VERGE 21 conference, a virtual COP26 climate tech event, I was asked to reflect on this in a panel focused on How to Build a Resilient Grid for the 21st Century. All three panelists agreed on the new modeling tools available; the seemingly sudden motivation to make our electricity grids more climate resilient following the onslaught of extreme weather disasters; the nearly overwhelming amount of work and collaboration required to get our critical infrastructure where we need to be; and the fact that we’re already late in doing so. One attendee commented on sea level rise, saying they hadn’t considered the slower, more insidious climate disasters and instead have been focusing on hurricanes, storms and wildfires.

I spoke on the Dumbarton Bridge West Approach + Adjacent Communities Resilience Case Study, a sea level rise vulnerability assessment we recently conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area. While the initial aim of the project was to understand the potential for flooding across a critical transportation corridor, the purpose quickly shifted from protecting the bridge, to reimagining a holistically climate resilient Silicon Valley landscape, including electrical utilities, transportation (roadways, bridges), technology and the neighboring environmental justice community, East Palo Alto.

Our involvement in this project resulted in six key takeaways for resilient infrastructure implementation, which could be employed anywhere in the world, including in your community:

1: Critical infrastructure cannot be protected in silos. Looking to protect one component may weaken or strengthen neighboring infrastructure. Integrated and collaborative planning is key to climate resilience success.

2: Consider your neighbors – and collaborate. Critical infrastructure often sits adjacent to disadvantaged communities. What’s generally thought of as good from a planning-level exercise, may not work on the ground. Public outreach to neighboring and potentially impacted communities provides educational opportunities on both sides, resulting in more robust alternatives.

3: Employ Nature-based Solutions. Drawing on Nature-based Solutions for landscape-level climate resilience is a win-win for the landscape and the assets they are protecting. In East Palo Alto, the development of horizontal or living levees, which are gently sloping vegetated berms rather than traditional levees, would increase flood protection and allow the marshes do their job – accrete sediment and grow over time to absorb sea waters and dampen winter storm wave impacts, while providing wildlife and plants upslope runways to move as water levels rise.

4: Include redundancy for resiliency. Things break down, particularly during extreme weather. We cannot count on 100 percent resilience because so many factors are at play. Systems and people fail. It is imperative to incorporate redundancy and multiple layers of protection.

5: Acknowledge the huge efforts involved. The Dumbarton Bridge planning-level project took two years. It was a complicated puzzle to develop feasible alternatives solutions. Implementation will require massive capital investment, long lead times, and collaboration.

6: Climate change planning may not be flashy, but it’s essential. Advance planning for long-term impacts is not reactionary. Sunny day planning is critical for showtime success.

As the world looks to COP26, let’s take action now. Several new funding options are available, and the opportunities are endless.

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