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An Engineering Manual of Practice for Nature-Based Solutions

Existing NBS Manuals

Designers and engineers implementing NBS projects often rely on a variety of forms of technical guidance when executing these projects. However, “guidance” is a huge spectrum of knowledge sharing mechanisms from informal, peer-to-peer learning to formal, international standards (Corwin et al. 2026).

This site compiles a variety of technical guidance documents associated with planning, design, and construction of nature-based solutions. The list of resources focuses primarily on topics related to engineering and design, and other topics are largely neglected (e.g., financing, stakeholder engagement, etc.). The resources focus primarily on large-scale manuals usually led by government and non-profit organizations. Many wonderful journal papers have been omitted due to a more narrow focus on a specific case study, region, or dimension of design. The site is not a comprehensive resource and is will evolve as the MOP is developed. Inclusion on this site does not denote endorsement by the editors or ASCE.

What is guidance on nature-based solutions?

A lack of NBS design guidance is often cited as a rationale for not including a feature in a given project (See survey of practitioners by Ostrow et al. (2022)). However, many forms of engineering guidance exist for NBS, and three common themes seem to arise in the style of these documents. The following resources general align with these themes as engineers navigate multi-disciplinary project planning, alternatives analysis, and design of a given feature type. Additionally, I have included some case study databases because everyone I know likes a “go-by” when developing a design.

Table 10.2: Overview of common types of design guidance documents.
High-Level Guidance Alternatives Analysis Performance-Based Design
Goals of documents Defining the goals of NBS/NNBF; Thinking in systems; Articulating roles in life cycle execution; Presenting participatory processes Articulating problems; Defining objectives; Considering ranges of alternatives Developing specifications for one alternative; Discrete analytical steps and workflow; Defining performance thresholds
Primary audiences All participants in NBS development Planners and engineers Engineers and operators
Geographic scope Multiple ecosystems connected at the systems scale Defined problem in a given ecosystem type Specific alternative in a given location
Example documents International NNBF Guidelines for Flood-Risk Management; WWF Flood Green Guide Wetlands Engr Handbook (Hayes et al. 2000); Floodplain Connectivity Technical Report USACE rubble mound manual; Floodplain Benching Technical Report

Alternative Analysis Resources

These are resources for helping engineers and designers navigate alternatives analysis. These documents typically focus on a given problem type (e.g., floodplain management) and present a variety of alternatives with the relative benefits of each described. This list is very incomplete and will be supplemented as the MOP develops.

REORGANIZE THESE AROUND THE TYPOLOGY PRESENTED IN CHAPTER 1

Performance-based Design of Features

These manuals typically focus on implementing a specific type of feature and include detail on topics like material sizing, specifying geometry, etc.