Seminar on Nature-Based Solutions

Welcome to the class!

What:
A seminar-based course on nature-based solutions emphasizing exploration of peer-reviewed literature and field-based experiences

When:
Fall Semester 2026
Tuesdays 4:15-6:15 PM

Where:
CUNY Grad Center (365 5th Ave)
Room TBD

Instructors:
Dr. Brett Branco, Director, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn College

Dr. Kyle McKay, Environmental Director, Woolpert

Nature-based solutions are a spectrum of actions from more to less naturalized (Figure from Van Rees et al. 2023 PNAS).

Course Overview

Download the syllabus (coming in Summer 2026).

This seminar-based course will explore the growing use of nature-based solutions for coastal management, which are often proposed in the context of simultaneously managing multiple crises related to biodiversity loss, climate change, aging infrastructure, and inequity of natural hazards. Students will explore these topics through reading peer-reviewed literature, agency and project reports, and other resources on the subject. The instructors will guide the class through a critical examination of NBS, their efficacy for accomplishing societal goals, challenges in project execution, and scientific uncertainties. When possible, discussions will include practicing professionals, who can provide insights on career trajectories, personal experiences, and disciplinary expertise. This interdisciplinary-oriented course is intended for students from multiple disciplines including environmental sciences, physical sciences, ecology, environmental design, natural resources, marine sciences, anthropology, economics, engineering, and other relevant and related fields. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and describe nature-based solutions for addressing coastal challenges.
  
• Understand the role of both ecological and built systems for water management.
  
• Critically analyze the complex interactions between natural systems and built infrastructure within the context of water resource management.
  
• Foster an interdisciplinary approach (and dialog) by integrating knowledge from diverse fields to enhance natural infrastructure practices.

Course Format

The course will emphasize three primary teach modalities: Socratic inquiry, field-based observation, and self-guided synthesis.

Discussion and Socratic inquiry will be the primary teaching structure in the classroom, and each week will have roughly the following format.

• Before class each week, students will read 2-3 assigned papers or reports on a focal subject related to nature-based solutions.
  
• A brief student-led presentation each week on a topic of their interest related to nature-based solutions (e.g., connections to their research, a case study of interest, a bio of an NBS figure that interests you, a career trajectory related to NBS, etc.).
  
• Students will lead and participate in a discussion of the assigned reading.
  
• Instructors will present on a current event related to NBS. These may include case studies, ongoing research briefs, visitors from other institutions, and/or important happenings in the field.
  
• The instructors will present a brief lecture to contextualize reading materials for the next week.

At least once in the semester, participants will attend a field trip to see projects in the New York City area. This field-based experience will contextualize how NBS are executed under site-specific constraints.

Over the course of the semester, students will choose a topic to develop into a class project. The project will be formated as a “trace-able account” that synthesizes the current state-of-knowledge about a specific aspect of NBS practice.

Approximate course schedule (subject to change).

Date	Topic	Potential Reading Materials
Sep 1	Course introduction + Skills for reading scientific literature	McKay et al. (2023), Heard (2026)
Sep 8	NBS fundamentals	Nesshöver et al. (2017), Cook et al. (2025)
Sep 15	NBS fundamentals	Singhvi et al. (2022), TBD
Sep 22	Structured decision making and community engagement	Pathak et al. (2026), TBD
Sep 29	Analysis of NBS: Ecological and economic outcomes	Reidenbach et al. (2025), Stanford et al. (2025)
Oct 6	Analysis of NBS: Co-benefits	González-García et al. (2025), Sadaf and Bruck (2026)
Oct 13	NO CLASS	n/a
Oct 20	Analysis of NBS: Engineering performance	Bredes et al. (2024), Esquivel-Muelbert et al. (2026)
Oct 27	Analysis of NBS: Cost estimation	TBD, TBD
Nov 3	Design: Alternatives analysis	Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines (2026), Nash et al. (forthcoming)
Nov 10	Design: Performance-based design	Ostrow et al. (2026), TBD
Nov 17	Design: Constructability and implementation	Curran et al. (2025), TBD
Nov 24	Performance Monitoring	Wijsman et al. (2021), van Rees et al. (2022)
Dec 1	Performance Monitoring	TBD, TBD
Dec 8	Life Cycle Management	TBD, TBD
Dec 15	Course synthesis	none

Course Materials

A variety of written materials will serve as the primary focal point for the class. Each week the instructors and participants will jointly explore these documents with the goal of identifying emergent themes around nature-based solutions.

Background reading:

• Bridges, T. S., J. K. King, J. D. Simm, M. W. Beck, G. Collins, Q. Lodder, and R. K. Mohan, eds. 2021. International Guidelines on Natural and Nature‑Based Features for Flood Risk Management. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.
  
• McPhearson T., Kabisch N., and Frantzeskaki N. 2023. Nature-based solutions for cities. Edward Elgar Publishing, Northampton, Massachusetts.

Potential Resources for Classroom Discussion:

• Annis S., Badas M.G., and Mascaro G. 2026. Increasing the fidelity of hyperlocal simulations of urban pluvial flooding through street flooding observations. Advance in Water Resources.
  
• Anzelone M. and Silvera Seamans, G. (2025). Oaks, Our City, and Us: A Vision for Nature in New York City. NYC Biodiversity Task Force Report.
  
• Bredes, A., Tso, G., Gittman, R.K., Narayan, S., Tomiczek, T., Miller, J.K. and Morris, R.L., 2024. A 20-year systematic review of wave dissipation by soft and hybrid nature-based solutions (NbS). Ecological Engineering, 209, p.107418.
  
• Cook, E.M., Kim, Y., Grimm, N.B., McPhearson, T., Anderson, P., Bulkeley, H., Collier, M.J., Diep, L., Morató, J. and Zhou, W., 2025. Nature-based solutions for urban sustainability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(29), p.e2315909122.
  
• Curran J.C., McKay S.K., Beagle J.R., Brauer E.J., Haring C.P., Thomas J., Lange J., Duhr D., VanBuecken N., Rose C., Bishop D., and Jensen S. 2025. Engineering practice guide for floodplain benching: A natural infrastructure approach for riverine systems. ERDC TR-25-15. U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
  
• Ding, H., and C. McLaren. 2025. Financial sector guidebook on nature-based solutions investment: Aligning investment with impacts and showcasing examples. Guidebook. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at: https://doi.org/10.46830/wrigb.24.00043.
  
• Esquivel-Muelbert, J.R., Fontoura, L., Zawada, K., Erickson, K., Figueira, W., Madin, J.S. and Bishop, M.J., 2026. The natural architecture of oyster reefs maximizes recruit survival. Nature, pp.1-5.
  
• González-García, A., Palomo, I., Codemo, A., Rodeghiero, M., Dubo, T., Vallet, A. and Lavorel, S., 2025. Co-benefits of nature-based solutions exceed the costs of implementation. Cell Reports Sustainability, 2(3).
  
• Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 2026. Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines. Civil Engineering and Development Department and Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department. Downloadable here.
  
• Heard S.G. 2026. How to lead a journal club you won’t be embarrassed by later. Scientist Sees Squirrel. https://scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com/2026/01/13/how-to-lead-a-journal-club-you-wont-be-embarrassed-by-later/.
  
• McKay, S.K., Wenger, S.J., van Rees, C.B., Bledsoe, B.P. and Bridges, T.S., 2023. Jointly advancing infrastructure and biodiversity conservation. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, pp.1-3.
  
• McPhearson and Diep. 2025. NATURA Global Roadmap for Urban Nature-based Solutions. Website for download of the regional manuals.
  
• Nesshöver, C., Assmuth, T., Irvine, K.N., Rusch, G.M., Waylen, K.A., Delbaere, B., Haase, D., Jones-Walters, L., Keune, H., Kovacs, E. and Krauze, K., 2017. The science, policy and practice of nature-based solutions: An interdisciplinary perspective. Science of the total environment, 579, pp.1215-1227.
  
• Ostrow, K.S. and Cox, D.T., 2026. Performance-Based Design Methodology for Nature-Based Solutions: Using Mangroves to Mitigate Wave Overtopping. ASCE OPEN: Multidisciplinary Journal of Civil Engineering, 4(1), p.04026006.
  
• Pathak A., Del Angel D.C., and Hale C. 2026. Co-developing nature-based solutions for coastal resilience: A case study from Refugio County, Texas. Estuaries and Coasts, 49, 31.
  
• Pineda-Pinto, M., Kennedy, C., Nulty, F. and Collier, M., 2024. Leverage points for improving urban biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene: A novel ecosystem lens for social-ecological transformation. Environmental Science & Policy, 162, p.103926.
  
• Reidenbach, M.A., Li, M., Rose, K.A., Tomiczek, T., Morris, J., Palinkas, C.M., Staver, L.W., Nardin, W., Gray, M.W., Lee, S.B. and Sutton-Grier, A.E., 2025. Performance Evaluation of Natural and Nature-Based Features for Coastal Protection and Co-Benefits. Annual Review of Marine Science, 18.
  
• Sadaf, A. and Bruck, J., 2026. Optimizing shoreline suitability models framework: integrating advanced GIS methodologies at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 14, p.1812979.
  
• Singhvi, A., Luijendijk, A.P. and van Oudenhoven, A.P., 2022. The grey–green spectrum: A review of coastal protection interventions. Journal of Environmental Management, 311, p.114824.
  
• Stanford, G.O., Ferreira, S., Landry, C.E. and Blachly, B., 2025. Economic valuation of ecosystem services and natural infrastructure: A quantitative review of the literature. Ecosystem Services, 75, p.101754.
  
• Suedel, B.C., Calabria, J., Bilskie, M.V., Byers, J.E., Broich, K., McKay, S.K., Tritinger, A.S., Woodson, C.B. and Dolatowski, E., 2022. Engineering coastal structures to centrally embrace biodiversity. Journal of Environmental Management, 323, p.116138.
  
• van Rees, C.B., Naslund, L., Hernandez-Abrams, D.D., McKay, S.K., Woodson, C.B., Rosemond, A., McFall, B., Altman, S. and Wenger, S.J., 2022. A strategic monitoring approach for learning to improve natural infrastructure. Science of the Total Environment, 832, p.155078.
  
• van Rees, C., Vanburen, C., Altieri, A., Bilskie, M., Byers, J., Calabria, J., Chambers, M., Coleman, D., Chambers, M.L., Foster, K. and Nelson, A.H., Leveraging Ecological Theory to Maximize Biodiversity of Nature-Based Solutions at Landscape Scales.
  
• Wijsman, K., Auyeung, D.S., Brashear, P., Branco, B., Graziano, K., Groffman, P., Cheng, H. and Corbett, D., 2021. Operationalizing resilience: co-creating a framework to monitor hard, natural, and nature-based shoreline features in New York State. Ecology and Society, 26(3).

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