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Infrastructure and the Built Environment

Society is built on increasingly complex and interconnected infrastructure systems to support our way of life. The National Academies study transportation, energy, water systems, and urban design to improve how we build and live. Explore research that advances safe, sustainable, and future-ready infrastructure to connect people, places, and economies.

What's happening

U.S. Needs New Drought Assessment Framework as Droughts Become More Severe and Unpredictable

News Release

As droughts in the United States become more frequent and longer-lasting, new assessment tools are needed. A new National Academies report examines how the field of drought assessment can better account for shifting drought conditions and proposes a framework to support drought monitoring, planning, and decision-making to meet future challenges.

Jun 30, 2026

Low water levels at Oroville Lake during a drought in Oroville, California

How does Ebola spread from person to person?

Based on Science

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of a symptomatic person or with contaminated clothing or other materials. Ebola virus is in saliva and other body fluids but has not been found to spread as easily as airborne viruses, such as COVID-19 or measles.

May 22, 2026

Light micrograph histologic section showing human liver infected with Ebola virus causing African Hemorrhagic Fever

New Report on Managing Highway Stormwater Quality

Announcement

Stormwater infrastructure plays an important role in protecting water resources, but contaminants from highway runoff are not adequately removed by current structures, and improved management of the various types and sources of pollutants is needed. A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies recommends methods state departments of transportation could use in their strategies to manage highway stormwater quality.

May 21, 2026

Featured Publications

Addressing Travel Needs of Women and Families on Public Transportation

2026

Managing Highway Stormwater Quality: Driving Progress

Consensus Study Report

2026

Real-Time Warnings and Variable Speed Limits: Safety and Travel Reliability During Weather Events

2026

Evaluating the Impacts of Real-Time Warnings and Variable Speed Limits on Safety and Travel Reliability During Weather Events

2026

Ferries: Electrification and Alternative Fuels

2026

Practices for Transitioning to Digital Delivery Systems and Workflows

2026

Transitioning to Unleaded Aviation Gasoline: A Guide and Tools

2026

Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Research Outcomes

2026

Technologies and Practices for Plugging and Remediating Orphan Oil and Gas Wells

Consensus Study Report

2026

Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies: A Guide

2026

Depicting Utility Facilities in Design Plans: A Guide

2026

Developing a Guide to Depicting Utility Facilities in Design Plans

2026

An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Communications Technology Laboratory: Fiscal Year 2025

Consensus Study Report

2026

Training Materials to Implement Context Classifications

2026

Enabling DOE Regional Energy–Water Technology Pilots

Consensus Study Report

2026

Effective, Efficient, and Informed Research, Development, and Demonstration for the Electricity System: Issue Paper

Issue Paper

2026

Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features

1993

Strategies to Improve Reporting of Impaired and Distracted Driving in Motor Vehicle Crashes

2026

UAS Flight Proficiency Examination: Proctor Guide for PROPS Test

2026

Incorporating Uncertainty into Long-Range Transportation Planning: A Guide

2026

Featured work

Study on Furthering the Development and Use of Innovative Materials in Water Resources Infrastructure

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

The Chemistry of Urban Wildfires

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

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Infrastructure and the Built Environment

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What's happening

Featured Publications

Featured work

Study on Furthering the Development and Use of Innovative Materials in Water Resources Infrastructure

K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas

Technologies and Practices for Plugging and Remediating Orphaned and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

Ocean Decade U.S.

Research and Technology Coordinating Committee (Federal Highway Administration)

Documenting and Communicating the Use of Earth Observations – Issue Paper

Government-University-Industry-Philanthropy Research Roundtable Webinars

Review of Methods and Data Needs for Calculating the Potential Impact Area of a Natural Gas Pipeline Failure for Regulatory Compliance

Strategies for Energy Parks in the United States – Issue Paper

Future of Battery Technology Options for Defense Applications

Costs and Approaches for Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Programs

Developing a Strategy to Evaluate the 5th National Climate Assessment

Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health

Modernizing Probable Maximum Precipitation Estimation

Analysis of Causes of Failure and Collapse of the 305-Meter Telescope at the Arecibo Observatory

Community Wastewater-based Infectious Disease Surveillance

Criteria for Installing Automatic and Remote-Controlled Shutoff Valves on Existing Gas and Hazardous Liquid Transmission Pipelines

Committee on Options for Improving the Safety of Amphibious Vessels (DUKW boats) When Used in Passenger Service

Peer Review of Interim Report on Computational Fluid Dynamics Model for Predicting Wellhead Oil-Burning Efficiency at Bench and Intermediate Scales

The Chemistry of Urban Wildfires

Government-University-Industry-Philanthropy Research Roundtable Webinars

Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health

Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States: Technology, Policy, and Societal Dimensions

Performance-Based Safety Regulation

Microbiomes of the Built Environment: From Research to Application

Criteria for Installing Automatic and Remote-Controlled Shutoff Valves on Existing Gas and Hazardous Liquid Transmission Pipelines

Committee on Options for Improving the Safety of Amphibious Vessels (DUKW boats) When Used in Passenger Service

Guidance on PFAS Testing and Health Outcomes

A Report Series on Progress and Opportunities Toward Decreasing the Risk of Offshore Energy Operations

Review of Effectiveness and Efficiency of Defense Environmental Cleanup Activities of the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management

Supplemental Treatment of Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation

Independent Assessment of Science and Technology for the Department of Energy’s Defense Environmental Cleanup Program

Disposal of Surplus Plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Study on Propane Gas Pipeline Facilities

Domestic Transportation of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Ethanol

The Role of Public Transportation and Mobility Management in an Era of New and Expanding Shared Mobility Options

Study on Performance of Bridges

Review of Federal Highway Administration Infrastructure R&D

Future Interstate Highway System Study

Review of Federal Highway Administration Infrastructure R&D - Expert Task Group on Pavements

Review of Federal Highway Administration Infrastructure R&D - Expert Task Group on Bridges

Intelligent Construction Systems and Technology for Highways: Program Review

Review of the Long-Term Bridge Performance Program: Expert Task Group for Bridge Traffic and Truck Weights

Review of the Long-Term Bridge Performance Program: Evaluation and Monitoring

Expert Task Group on LTPP Special Activities

Study on Furthering the Development and Use of Innovative Materials in Water Resources Infrastructure

Ocean Decade U.S.

An Ocean Infrastructure Strategy for U.S. Ocean Research in 2030

Evaluating Testing, Costs, and Benefits of Advanced Spectroscopic Portals

K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas

Documenting and Communicating the Use of Earth Observations – Issue Paper

Strengthening the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Research & Technology Program

Modernizing Probable Maximum Precipitation Estimation

Analysis of Causes of Failure and Collapse of the 305-Meter Telescope at the Arecibo Observatory

The Chemistry of Urban Wildfires

Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the United States

Enhancing U.S. Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Support Capabilities

Study on Performance of Bridges

Grand Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Engineering for the Twenty-first Century

Urban Flooding in the United States

Affordability of NFIP Premiums

Review of the National Levee Safety Guidelines

Costs and Approaches for Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Programs

Peer Review of Interim Report on Computational Fluid Dynamics Model for Predicting Wellhead Oil-Burning Efficiency at Bench and Intermediate Scales

Enhancing the U.S. Chemical Economy through Investments in Fundamental Research in the Chemical Sciences

United States Contributions to Global Ocean Plastic Waste

Supplemental Treatment of Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation

Independent Assessment of Science and Technology for the Department of Energy’s Defense Environmental Cleanup Program

Developing a Research Agenda for Utilization of Gaseous Carbon Waste Streams

Alternatives for the Demilitarization of Conventional Munitions

Subsurface Characterization, Modeling, Monitoring, and Remediation of Fractured Rocks

Future Options for Management in the Nation's Subsurface Remediation Effort

Research and Technology Coordinating Committee (Federal Highway Administration)

Documenting and Communicating the Use of Earth Observations – Issue Paper