High-rise development of the sea-front at Fortaleza (Brazil): Perspectives on its valuation and consequences

Abstract

Occupation of the Fortaleza's coastline began in the 17th century following the arrival of the Dutch and subsequent construction of the fortress after which the city is named. Urban development of the coast began in the early 19th century. The processes of occupation and urbanization along Fortaleza's coastline is inseparable from the history of the port and its environmental impacts (silting-up and erosion). Currently, the coast studied is one of Brazil's most developed, densely populated and most heavily modified by coastal engineering structures. Urban development accelerated in the 1980s due to tourism activities and led to the expansion of high-rise construction along the beachfront. Intensive occupation thus replaced extensive occupation. This paper explores Fortaleza's urban development from two perspectives. Firstly, we use historical data to document the process of high-rise development on the tourist sea-front and the modification of the same coast with coastal engineering structures designed to contain erosion triggered by the construction of Mucuripe Harbor. Secondly, we collected field data on the current urban fabric (including the distribution of high-rise buildings, land prices and land use) and used these data to analyze urban growth and human pressure on the coastal zone, especially the Fortaleza sea-front. Extensive artificial modification of the coast has enabled Fortaleza to develop into one of the most important tourist resorts in Brazil. In turn, this increased economic activity has allowed increasingly extensive and costly coastal engineering structures to be built in the area.