Item

Urban seascaping – How to live not just by the sea but with the sea

Date
2023-05
Type
Journal Article
Fields of Research
Abstract
Urban shorelines are markers of the contested site between the city and the sea. For centuries, coastal cities have expanded their influence further into the sea in the form of land reclamation (also termed “ocean sprawl”), which is responsible for habitat loss, decrease in biodiversity and water pollution. The sea has increasingly become a backdrop to support the growth of business-as-usual (B-A-U) urban developments that are not conducive to the changing climate nor capable of moving beyond the exploitative and superficial engagement with the sea that most cities practice today. However, the consequences of climate change are challenging the sprawl, as the sea is pushing back onto coastal cities in the form of sea level rise and frequent storms. The dominant way coastal cities have responded to this encroachment has been defense driven mechanical handling of water via sea walls and pumps, a symptom of a reactive rather than proactive response in addressing the climate crisis
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