Student: Rachel Tanzer
Graduation date: May 2016
Type: Concentration (single major)
Date approved: November 2013
Summary
Over the past 50 years the globe has been witness to one of the “greatest human migrations of modern times,” with people around the world flocking to coastlines (Tibbetts 2002, 674). Mass relocation and urban population growth over a short period of time have lead to the rapid development and land use change of coastal zones. Such development manifests itself differently in varying contexts. Drivers that shape development include economic and market incentives, population growth, increase in tourism, agriculture and aquaculture industries, and the threat of potential hazards. Governments shape policy around the drivers that are applicable to their region. Poor coastal management can lead to exploitation of natural resources, changes in biodiversity, increase in risks of hazards, and socio-economic disparity. This concentration examines various approaches to managing rapid coastal development. The rapidity of this development can sometimes stun unprepared regions, particularly those without prior implementation of policy. Broadly situating this concentration in rapidly developing coastal zones will allow me to assess the roles of different governments in regions under similar pressures.
Examining the rapid development of coastal zones is relevant to various themes discussed in Environmental Studies. One of the greatest effects of human development is land cover change. Remote sensing, GIS, and land use change models are often helpful in detecting the resulting environmental changes (Shalaby and Tateishi 2007)(Veldkamp and Lambin 2001). Here, the theme of urbanization and environment also comes into play. People are drawn to the many benefits of owning coastal zone property, and industries are also drawn to the natural resources of coastal regions. Intensified development leads to the exploitation of land and natural resources. Thus, policy and coastal zone management are essential in creating more sustainable developmental practices.
In establishing a basis for this concentration, it is important to understand the ways in which development manifests itself. Different drivers lead to different environmental, socio-economic, and cultural effects from development. To fully understand the causes and effects, I will conduct a comparative analysis of coastal zone management in four situated contexts where rapid development occurs.
The first of these contexts lies in Southern Florida, where several driving forces have sparked vast land use changes, including “increased national demand for winter vegetables and fruits and rapid population growth in response to tourism and changing residential preferences, particularly among retirees” (Walker et al. 1997, 40). Floridian coastal management strategies, such as the Coastal Construction Line Program, consider these drivers in conjunction with various hazards and environmental concerns. Key hazards include storms, inlets, and erosion (Ruppert 2008). Similar development has occurred in Argentina, where economic incentives are based largely out of forestry, agriculture, and fishing industries (Munoz et al. 2003). In an article from Coastal Management, Munoz et al. argue that the entirety of the Argentinean coast faces certain problems; many, if not all, of which result from poor coastal management policy. These problems include: “(a) privatization of the public domain; (b) inadequate urban planning of the coastal zone; (c) industrial and urban pollution; (d) coastal erosion linked to inadequate coastal management practices; (e) overexploitation of natural resources; (f) loss and fragmentation of natural habitats leading to the loss of bio- diversity; (g) increased coastal vulnerability” (Munoz et al. 2003, 56). The third situated context, Vietnam, is currently undergoing “rapid social and economic transition” along with major changes in land and forest allocation resulting from the official embracing of a market economy (Luttrell 2001, 529). Despite attempts by the government to curb coastal migration through policy, new economic incentives have fueled rapid development of coastal cities (Dang et al. 1997). The final situated context lies in the southern coast of Australia, where development is largely non-metropolitan. One key driver, defined by Gurran et al. as “amenity migration,” leads to “growing numbers of people with urban tastes and rural dreams in areas with governance structures and physical infrastructure designed for occasional tourists” (Gurran et al. 2007, 446). As a result, these communities turn to new coastal management policy that is largely done through local planning. In the same study, Gurran et al. examines six local plans and finds common themes among these plans, including specific overarching objectives on sustainable coastal development, rather limited controls “relying predominantly on the land use zoning system to regulate permissible land uses,” and identification of added assessment criteria for areas of development that may be exposed to coastal hazards (Gurran et al. 2007, 460). By studying the different approaches utilized by these four regions, I aim to paint a more developed picture of what goes into successful coastal management, and what conditions are essential for successful coastal regulation.
References
Questions
- Descriptive: How has development manifested itself in coastal zones within the past 50 years? What kinds of controls are or are not present in these regions? What changes in coastal ecology and biodiversity have occurred in these regions in the past 50 years?
- Explanatory: What forces underlie these developments, and to what extent does the state play a significant role? Why is there a concentration of development occurring in coastal zones?
- Evaluative: To what extent has human development compromised the natural ecology of coastal zones? To what extent have various coastal management strategies been successful or unsuccessful?
- Instrumental: What makes for successful coastal management?
Concentration courses
- IS 242 (Environmental Sustainability in Vietnam: Problems and Solutions, 4 credits), fall 2014. This course will look at the rapid development of Vietnam and its environmental implications. We will examine current development strategies and possible solutions to various concerns. This will provide an in depth look at a situated context very applicable to this concentration.
- SOAN 306 (Social Permaculture, 4 credits), spring 2014. This course focuses on interactions between humans and ecological systems at local and bioregional levels.
- IA 238 (Political Economy of Development, 4 credits), spring 2015. Economy is a driving force in development. This course looks into debates surrounding the role of government in addressing problems of development.
- IA 257 (Global resource dilemmas, 4 credits), spring 2015.
Arts and humanities courses
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- ART 451 (Art and Environment, 4 credits). Visual representations of landscape in formal and other art settings.