Coastal Development
Oceanside Debates the Future of its Coastline
As sea levels rise, California's coastal communities face difficult decisions about how to preserve coastlines and mitigate the looming threat.
California's Coastal Marshes Face Extinction By 2110
Climate change and coastal development are combining to stamp out important ecological landscapes.
Golf Course Plans for 280 Acres of State Park Land Abandoned in Oregon
A controversial and unprecedented deal that would have privatized 280 acres of state-owned Bandon State Natural Area have fizzled out thanks to new requirements from the Bureau of Land Management.
Oregon Moves Forward With 'Unprecedented' Plans for Coastal Golf Course
Inside the deal that could open a huge swatch of highly protected Oregon coastal land to a developer with plans for a golf course.
Congress Still Exploring Fix for Flood Insurance Expenses
With the National Flood Insurance Program deeply in debt, homeowners are struggling to afford new insurance rates resulting from legislation passed in 2012. The House could still block the Senate bill that would delay more rate increases.
Effort to Rein in Federal Flood Insurance Program Causing Alarm
As a 2012 law aimed reforming the "increasingly unsustainable" National Flood Insurance Program goes into effect, some homeowners in coastal areas are seeing dramatic increases in their insurance rates. Lawmakers are pondering how to ease the pain.
Can America Adapt Its Waterfronts Before They Drown?
America's voracious appetite for waterfront development continues, even as a future filled with rising seas and extreme storms becomes more evident. The most proactive coastal areas have begun planing for adaptation, but are they doing enough?
Rejected Developer Keeps Fighting County to Build
Developer Gerald Friedman is incredulous that county commissioners won't let him rezone his property in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Township vs. Billionaire
A township of 3,000 people is waging war on a proposal from a billionaire energy magnate that would turn a beloved stretch of Lake Michigan coastline into condos, a hotel, and a golf course.The battle persists, even as town funding has become scarce.
Ocean Zoning Moves Forward
Gov. Deval Patrick of Mass. has released a draft zoning plan to regulate the waters off the state's coast, particularly around Cape Cod and Cape Ann.
Protecting California's Coastal Development Will Cost Billions
Computer modeling predicts sea levels rising 55 inches by 2100, and a recent report from California's interagency Climate Action Team is calling for a radical reorganization of the state's coastal development and infrastructure to avoid disaster.
Beachfront Brouhaha in Buffalo City
That's Buffalo City, South Africa, where public open space along the coast is being rezoned to business and residential, to the dismay of locals worried about beach access.
Texas Coastlines May Remain Unbuilt
In parts of Texas, state officials and local communities are in a tug-of-war over post-Ike coastline rebuilding efforts.
Beach Access Blocked By Homeowners
A $5 million project on Long Beach Island to restore the eroding beachfront is stymied by homeowners who don't want to allow easements through their property.
Home, Sweet Clam Shack
In Newburyport, Mass., critics tried to stop Mark Roland from converting an historic clam shack into a home. Roland claims: 'It's recycling.'
A Small Town From Scratch
Developer Casey Roloff has built an ambitious new community on the Washington coast with New Urbanist ideas and a Northwest flavor.
The New Global Warming Pariahs - Pushing Adaptation and Land Use Changes
Is CO2 buildup responsible for the enormous hurricane damage, or is it overdevelopment? Should we be spending so much attempting to reduce carbon emissions, or could it be better spent reducing problems that will be exacerbated by global warming?
Walking the Tightrope: Creating Great Coastal Communities
In my last blog post, I talked about some of the challenges and growth pressures coastal communities are facing. Within 10 years, the coastal population is expected to grow by 12 million people—or by 3,600 people per day. This growth poses unique opportunities—and challenges—to coastal communities. The issue facing these communities becomes one of balance: how to maximize the opportunities waterfront development can provide to a community and, at the same time, meet the often significant challenges.
Who’s Watching the Beach?
It’s not just those buff lifeguards. Most coastal and Great Lakes states have a coastal zone management program. And not only are the coastal zone managers watching the beach, they are watching what’s being built in their communities. In fact, in recent interviews of coastal zone managers, 56 out of 58 said growth was the top pressure on coastal resources in their state.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Santa Clarita
Ascent Environmental
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
