The Resilience Shift wants to share good work by others, in this case, one of the world’s largest hydroelectric dams, Itaipú Dam, and the natural ecosystems that regenerate its surroundings and increase its resilience to climate change. The case study focusses on the innovations used to enhance resilience of such infrastructure developments and does not present an exhaustive analysis of all aspects of the dam’s development. We acknowledge that, with hydropower infrastructure projects of this size, there are inevitable trade-offs for communities and the environments that should be carefully considered and weighed against the benefits of clean energy production. This is a story of the good resilience practice that Itaipú Dam has put in place since its construction.

In 2015, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water), pressed pause on one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city’s history to incorporate a massive investment in green infrastructure. Financed with the help of the world’s first Environmental Impact Bond, the green infrastructure components fundamentally changed the $2.6 billion-dollar plan to upgrade the US capital’s sewer system, replacing a considerable amount of the planned grey infrastructure whilst removing the equivalent stormwater, saving money on water rates, and delivering a host of other benefits including green jobs for DC residents. This is the story of how DC Water reaped the benefits of greening the grey.

The Resilience Shift wants to share good work by others, in this case, a technical assistance project supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). This case study tells the story of what good practice looks like for resilient infrastructure.

This is a story of infrastructure creation that does not begin with the asset. It begins instead with the people; specifically, the needs of some of the poorest and the most vulnerable in rural India. By linking to an established social security programme, the Infrastructure for Climate Resilient Growth in India (ICRG) project provides technical assistance to support the development of over 900 resilient infrastructure works in just 4 years. Funded by DFID, the ICRG has cleverly combined technology with traditional techniques to ensure that the assets build community resilience to climate change and can be built and maintained by the communities themselves.