From Ditches to Destinations: Making Urban Stream Restoration Worth It
Will Wilhelm, PE, CFM, ENV SP
Kimley-Horn
Denver, CO
Urban stream restoration is increasingly expected to deliver more than ecological uplift alone. In developed watersheds, projects must reduce flood risk, improve safety and livability, support climate mitigation and resilience, and deliver visible community benefits to earn public support and secure funding. However, restoration is still too often communicated through singular regulatory/mitigation or stormwater narratives that do not resonate with residents, elected officials, or non-traditional funding partners.
This presentation shows how reframing urban stream restoration as a multi-benefit, nature-based solution can improve stakeholder support and project feasibility. Using recent case studies from the City of Tucson in Arizona, Greenwood Village in Colorado, and the City of Charlotte in North Carolina, the session demonstrates communication strategies that connect outcomes to what stakeholders value. These priorities include flood reduction, shade and urban cooling, fire mitigation, public safety, recreation and access to nature, carbon sequestration, and neighborhood identity. The ISI Envision Framework provides a common language to align these outcomes with performance indicators for sustainability, resilience, and long-term community goals.
Examples illustrate how different narratives motivate different audiences. Residents respond to safer neighborhoods, shaded trails, and cleaner waterways. Public works and utility staff focus on infrastructure protection and risk reduction. Municipal leadership connects restoration to climate action plans, transportation and park system goals, and resiliency strategies. The presentation highlights the importance of collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies, and it offers practical ways to improve coordination across municipal departments such as parks and recreation, stormwater, wastewater, and transportation.
The session also explores emerging opportunities to engage corporate partners, including companies in the artificial intelligence (AI) and data center sectors that are seeking biodiversity, water stewardship, and carbon outcomes. By clearly communicating vision, goals, and measurable outcomes tailored to each partner, project teams can assemble diverse funding. This community-centered and outcome-based approach helps move projects from overlooked ditches to valued community destinations.
About Will Wilhelm, PE, CFM, ENV SP
Will is a Professional Engineer, geomorphologist, ecological restoration specialist, and Vice President serving as Kimley‑Horn’s National Director of Resiliency and Sustainability, with more than 30 years of experience in watershed, river, and floodplain restoration. He has led over twenty complex urban stream and river restoration projects nationwide that integrate flood risk reduction, water quality improvement, habitat restoration, and recreation through blended green infrastructure and nature‑based solutions. Will is recognized for his collaborative, client‑focused leadership, and his ability to translate geomorphic and ecological principles into implementable, multi‑benefit restoration outcomes. In 2025, he was named one of the Top 100 Sustainability Leaders in North America by future.io.