Traditional soil reinforcing techniques involve the use of continuous geosynthetic inclusions such as geogrids and geotextiles. The acceptance of geosynthetics in reinforced soil construction has been triggered by a number of factors, including aesthetics, reliability, simple construction techniques, good seismic performance, and the ability to tolerate large deformations without structural distress. Following an overview of conventional reinforced soil applications, this paper focuses on recent advances in reinforced soil technology. Examples include advances in reinforced soil design for conventional loading (e.g. validation of analysis tools), advances in design for unconventional loading (e.g., reinforced bridge abutments), and advances in reinforcement materials (e.g., polymeric fiber reinforcements).