Coastal Settlements Research Articles

A nature-based exploration of resilience capacity in coastal settlements exposed to tsunamis along the southern Pacific coast

A nature-based exploration of resilience capacity in coastal settlements exposed to tsunamis along the southern Pacific coast

More-than-land: conserving the social fabrics of the Kat O coastal settlements in Hong Kong

This article examines the unique self-organised spatial and social structure of the Kat O coastal settlements in Hong Kong. By problematising the identity politics between built forms and landscapes, this paper analyses the village’s deep-rooted history within the land‒water dichotomies, which have been shaped by government survey methods and conservation-development policies. Specifically, it presents the peri-urban condition of Kat O’s coastal settlements as a departure from the traditional urban‒rural continuum perspectives. Empirically, the field documentation of the self-built additions presents critical perspectives into the static understanding of land ownership, addition and adaptation strategies and the building materialities embedded within the government survey methods and conservation-development policies. Theoretically, this study provides an understanding of these coastal settlements as cultural landscapes that are dynamically related to the environment, as well as the changing sociocultural relationships among different communities on the basis of their unique conceptions of habitation and living. By examining past and current conservation policies, this article advocates for a water-centric vision for countryside conservation in Hong Kong that transcends the commonly adopted terrecentric perspective.

How Does Legal Culture Matter for Climate Mobilities? A Case Study in an Unplanned Coastal Settlement in Urban Mozambique

This article responds to the general neglect of legal culture in the study of climate mobilities. It presents a case study of climate mobilities in an unplanned settlement in Maputo, Mozambique, exploring how legal culture influenced residents’ decision-making processes as they navigated climate-related risks in their daily lives. We demonstrate that legal culture can facilitate climate mobilities. However, we argue that the role of legal culture in enabling climate mobilities is potentially very complex. Our case study uncovered a nuanced ‘ecosystem’ of land laws in Mozambique, comprising two official systems – formal and informal. Despite their contradictory substantive content regarding land rights, these systems functioned symbiotically, allowing residents of unplanned settlements to mitigate the effects of climate risks. This apparent paradox is explained through the analytical lenses of jurisdiction, scale and temporality. We also argue that this ‘ecosystem’ of land laws can only fully be understood within the broader context of Mozambique's political economy, which attracts foreign investment and promotes urban development, often at the expense of those living in unplanned settlements. Future research into the significance of legal culture for climate mobilities must not only be attuned to the plurality of legal orders in play but also consider the scales and temporalities through which they operate. Furthermore, they must also interrogate the interplay between law and broader political, economic and social contexts.

Exploring community resilience through Arctic residents' narratives in the Republic of Sakha (Russia).

This article uses the Resilient Community Development frame to explore how the residents from two coastal settlements in the Russian Arctic cope with the long-term effects of climate change, permafrost thaw and challenging socio-economic conditions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2019 in Tiksi and Bykovsky (Republic of Sakha, Russia). These narratives were coded and qualitatively analyzed using the aforementioned framing as a guideline. This article shows that migration, mobility, culture, history, identity and extended networks play a key role in the way that these residents cope with disturbances and upheavals. Sharing past experiences and specific ways to interact with their natural environment, other neighbors and the land they live in are pivotal for the local social configuration and can underpin identity processes. This analysis demonstrates that residents' narratives regarding socio-economic challenges, climate change and permafrost thaw can inform us about short-term concerns, but also how to enhance long-term community resilience.

Family communal space as a natural surveillance function to create resilient coastal settlements

ABSTRACT Family communual space (FCS) can become a natural surveillance site for residents to monitor their environment. This study, of a fishing village in Indonesia, aims to determine the extent to which FCS plays a role as natural surveillance for its environment. The method uses a combination of quantitative (space syntax) with connectivity, visibility, and isovist approaches, as well as qualitative, such as support for data on kinship level, time of FCS use, and FCS location. The spatial analysis results show that visibility is low because the housing is dense and irregular, axial connectivity is low because there are many bends in roads, and the isovist has a wide observation range. The isovist was able to demonstrate the FCS’s role in natural surveillance. Findings: FCS and kinship ties can optimize environmental security even though visibility and connectivity are low to achieve resilience and sustainability and these are new prospects for researching the same thing but with different spatial methods or different places.

Resilient planning pathways to community resilience to tsunami in Chile

There is growing urgency to develop resilient coastal communities worldwide due to an increase in destructive events. Many resilience assessment models, tools, and frameworks are being developed to guide planners and policy makers for planning resilient communities. However, many lack a multidimensional approach, while others disregard regional variations in indicators' importance, and neglect an adequate community involvement level. In turn, these factors hinder the development of a ‘Resilient Planning Pathway’ (RPP), or a set of planning strategies that consider key local environmental attributes and socio-cultural capacities. The RPP approach has been used in the context of vulnerable groups and urban and landscape planning worldwide. The objective of this study is to identify key resilience aspects to develop RPPs in Chilean coastal communities exposed to tsunami hazards. We used a cross-sectional participatory method with public servants and coastal communities which identifies regional variations in resilience dimensions, in order to define challenges for planners and policy makers. A systematic international literature review in Atlas.Ti revealed 78 resilience composite indicators and six resilience dimensions for tsunami hazards in Chile. Composite indicators were evaluated according to their importance and experience by 134 public servants within 42 coastal communities, revealing the aspects that guide the current development of RPPs. Public servants' responses are similar among macrozones and suggest that RPP development has focused on the physical, socio-cultural, and institutional dimensions, neglecting the ecological and economic dimensions. In contrast, the community opinions from 10 representative coastal settlements collected in 29 focus groups indicated that the importance of composite indicators varies among macrozones and with regards to the public servants' responses. This finding suggests commonalities and differences among macrozones regarding the challenges in developing Chilean coastal communities' RPPs. We believe that our methodological approach could help generate similar assessments in other world zones.

Understanding mobility and immobility choices in vulnerable coastal settlements: insights from southwest India

ABSTRACT This study explores the influence of social, environmental, governance, and other household factors on migration decision-making in hazard-affected coastal areas in southwest India. Through nearly 900 interviews with households residing in these vulnerable areas and with households that have migrated elsewhere, this paper analyses the determinants that influence the propensity for migration versus staying, as well as for voluntary immobility versus involuntary immobility. Logistic regression was used to distinguish significant factors. The results showed that governance factors and the extent of impact were the most influential in migration decision-making, while social and household factors were the most relevant in determining voluntary non-migrants. The decision to migrate was found to be strongly influenced by post-disaster rehabilitation assistance by the government, while the decision to stay was influenced by the kind of coastal protection measures that were in place. These insights have significant implications for migration and planned relocation policies and can be leveraged to design more effective interventions for both immobile and migrating populations.

Adapting Coastal Settlement to Climate Change: Insight from Ecofeminist Perspective

Adapting Coastal Settlement to Climate Change: Insight from Ecofeminist Perspective

IDENTIFIKASI PERMUKIMAN DI KAWASAN PESISIR UNTUK MENDUKUNG KEBIJAKAN DALAM PENGURANGAN RISIKO BENCANA DI PESISIR PANTAI SINE, KABUPATEN TULUNGAGUNG

The research was conducted in the coastal area of Sine Beach, Tulungagung Regency which is one of the coastal areas in the southern part of Java Island and has a high risk level of tsunami disaster. The purpose of this study, (1) to analyse the level of population settlement density, (2) to identify the type of population settlement. The method in this research uses a qualitative descriptive method. Data sources were obtained from secondary data and primary data, with data collection techniques analysing satellite images and field surveys. The results showed that (2) the level of settlement density in the coastal area of Sine Beach is the densest among coastal settlements in Tulungagung. While (2) the type of settlement is dominated by the settlement of fishermen with diverse settlement types, which are dominated by non-harvesting, semi-permanent and permanent settlements. Based on the level of settlement density and the type of settlement, the settlements in the coastal area of Sine Beach include the potential risk of exposure to coastal disasters such as high waves and Tsunami waves. So it is necessary to take action planning for coastal disaster risk reduction, such as disaster education, training, increasing public awareness in responding to disasters and minimising the risk of coastal disasters.

Seawater desalination of arid regions: comparing the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Indonesia

Problems with clean water in coastal areas alongside an increase in population and community economic activities have diversified community activities. Coastal settlements bordering the high seas are characterized as arid areas with a lack of clean water. Here, the use of the range groundwater supply against seawater intrusion means that the water consumed by the community tastes salty and brackish. The availability of abundant seawater, processed through desalination technology, can be used to meet the daily clean water needs of coastal communities. Sustainable development goal (SDG) 6 Water and Sanitation is concerned with ensuring that everyone has access to clean water and sanitation. In this regard, desalination technology is considered viable to achieve the SDGs in the environmental sector. Some countries have focused on using desalination technology to achieve target 6.4 by 2030. This goal aims to improve the efficiency of water use to reduce the number of people experiencing clean water scarcity by ensuring a sustainable supply of fresh water. The objective of this study is to examine the application of seawater desalination technology for clean water in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Indonesia, and identify the implications of desalination policies in these countries. Comparative studies were conducted using secondary data and literature studies on transforming seawater into clean water with technology. KSA applies seawater desalination technology to meet water needs. However, in Indonesia, policymaking has not holistically examined the potential of using seawater desalination technology for clean water. Until now, unlike in the KSA, Indonesia has not addressed the importance of the use of desalination technology in state policy.

Pengelolaan Permukiman Pesisir dan di Atas Air Berkelanjutan di Desa Teluk Sunting, Kabupaten Kepulauan Anambas Provinsi Kepulauan Riau

Coastal settlements are highly vulnerable because they are greatly affected by global climate change. Population growth will further increase the use of unorganized built space in the coastal area of Teluk Sunting Village which in the future could lead to conflict as a result of regulations and policies regarding coastal areas. This research was conducted in the coastal residential area of Teluk Sunting Village, Central Siantan District, Anambas Islands Regency. The research method consists of data collection techniques, sampling techniques, data requirements, data presentation, analysis methods and data analysis techniques. The results obtained are that the administrative area of Teluk Sunting Village contains cultivation and protected areas according to the RTRW Spatial Pattern Plan. The area is 5.29 Ha of mangrove ecosystem area and 34.83 Ha of protected forest area. Area of 19.22 Ha cultivation area. The environmental quality results obtained in RT 1 settlements are low quality settlements, RT 3 is medium quality settlements and RT 2 and RT 4 settlements are high quality settlements. The conclusions obtained from the four approaches taken to identify land use patterns, namely land use patterns, land use and use with land tenure, conformity with the RTRW and conformity with the zoning of Aquatic Tourism Parks, are in accordance with the designation. The involvement of stakeholders in the management of coastal and water areas in Teluk Sunting Village is very appropriate to support and ensure the sustainability of the area in the future.

Sustaining the Character of Coastal “Sea Change” Destinations in a Post-Pandemic World

Many smaller coastal towns that rely on tourism for their economic survival have been badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have since rebounded, and in some, inbound migration has soared. Unfortunately, this influx of tourists and new residents brings with it increased development and associated environmental and social changes that often negatively impact the distinctive character and sense of place many of these places possess, which makes them attractive destinations in the first place. Protecting features in the landscape that define the character of these settlements and preventing future changes that would be incompatible with it will be crucial for the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of these ‘sea change’ settlements. Once the distinctive character of these places is lost, it is nearly impossible to recapture. This paper reviews the findings of a suite of studies previously undertaken by the author that explored the perceptions of residents in ten ‘sea change’ settlements, nine in Australia and one in Thailand, regarding how they perceived the character of their towns and what features they felt were compatible or incompatible with that character. In comparing the findings from these studies, a clear pattern emerged in that similar types of landscape features were consistently identified as supporting or detracting from the character of these towns. This allowed a typology of features salient to the character of these types of ‘sea change settlements’ to be formulated, providing insights into this intangible yet highly valuable resource of place character within the context of these types of settlements and establishing a basis for further research in other similar tourism-intensive coastal settlements.

Reconstructing the paleoshoreline of Bukit Choras based on geochemical and microfossil studies

The archaeological findings in Bukit Choras are among the best preserved structural remains of Bujang Valley. Previous studies have revealed sacred buildings made of laterite blocks, ancient water reservoirs, as well as a Buddhist inscription which can be dated back to the 6th/7th Century C.E. Although Bukit Choras is currently located 8 km inland, in ancient times, it could have been nearer to the shoreline similar to other pre-14th Century coastal sites of Bujang Valley. Thus, this research attempts to reconstruct the paleoshoreline of the area by determining whether the dryland surrounding Bukit Choras was once submerged under the sea. In this study, hand-augered soil samples from the surrounding areas of Bukit Choras were analysed by using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and digital microscopy, while 14C dating was carried out on two organic samples extracted from the sediments. The possible locations of the paleoshoreline were deduced based on the analysis of geochemical and microfossil contents of the sediments while taking into account the sea-level fluctuations and the geomorphology of the area. Thus, it is concluded that Bukit Choras was once a coastal site, surrounded by a marine and swampy environment, while the archaeological site functioned as one of the coastal settlements of the Bujang Valley.

Pearl Fisheries in South Asia: Archaeological Evidence from Pre-Colonial and Colonial Shell Middens around the Gulf of Mannar in Sri Lanka

AbstractThis study investigates pre-colonial and colonial-era pearl fisheries in Sri Lanka using archaeological data from the Gulf of Mannar (GoM). Following surface surveys, test pits were excavated in three pearl oyster middens and one coastal settlement. The archaeomalacological study of the molluscan remains from the middens confirms that the pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata) was the predominant species exploited, providing a clear picture of the pearl oyster bank ecosystems used at the industrial level. Morphometric analysis of the pearl oysters allows for an assessment of exploitation pressure. Ceramic and radiocarbon analyses date the high impact of the pearl industry from the tenth to the nineteenth centuries. The study of by-catch fauna provides insight into pearl bank ecosystems over time. These archaeological findings highlight the impact of industrial extractions on a single species.

Policy planning and practical implementations of coastal adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of sea level rise in the coastal region of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

Coastal adaptation is a scientific process, and social, economic, and political adjustment of coastal management policies to minimize the climate impact and increase the resilience in the coastal system. The Kanyakumari coastal region encompasses industrial, ecological, residential and tourist hotspots with high sensitivity for the impact of sea level rise. We used mixed policy tools to evaluate the impact in the coastal region and develop adaptation strategies which are integrated into existing management. To be an effective implementation of adaptation policy, we propose five guiding principles: (i) Develop a coastal settlement management plan for accelerated sea level rise in each fishing hamlet by incorporating the plan into sub district planning. (ii) Entitle a Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter (MCS) in each fishing hamlet and each one access for refugee seekers during a cyclone and later for internally displaced persons (IDPs). (iii) Develop a database system at village level to set up the coastal adaptation policies against sea level rise and a database system should be update time to time (climate, population, migrants, vulnerability data). (iv) Setup an Agricultural Conservation Practices (ACP) and Wetland Reclamation Plan (WRP) in the wetland-rich coastal plain region. (v) Practical approaches to linking the coastal adaptation plan in the study area to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets and indicators are proposed.

Tingkat Keberlanjutan Permukiman Pesisir Kelurahan Kota Karang Raya, Kecamatan Teluk Betung Timur, Kota Bandar Lampung

Spatial planning in coastal settlements must be conducted comprehensively and integratedly. This can be achieved through the application of sustainable coastal settlements in line with SDG goal number 11, which emphasizes sustainable cities and communities. Kota Karang Raya Sub-District has a total area of 0.26 km2 with a population of 1,296 households. The settlement extends from inland towards the coast and is characterized by dense, irregular housing arrangements with inadequate facilities. Being directly adjacent to Lampung Bay's coastline, there is a potential for disasters that can threaten the local community. This research aims to determine the level of sustainability of coastal settlements in Kota Karang Raya Sub-District by identifying the existing conditions and analyzing the level of sustainability. The research adopts a deductive-quantitative approach using descriptive analysis and Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis with assessment categories based on Kavanagh and Pitcher. Based on the MDS analysis, the level of sustainability in the coastal settlements of Kota Karang Raya Sub-District falls into the category of less sustainable with an index value of 47,16. This value represents the coverage of sustainability aspects, with environmental and economic sustainability categorized as less sustainable, while social sustainability is considered relatively sustainable.

Study of coastal land change in sand mining activities in Bandar Batauga Village, South Buton Regency, Indonesia

This research focused on land changes in Bandar Batauga Village, South Buton Regency, Indonesia, related to environmentally damaging sand mining activities. The primary objective of this research was to analyze land evolution in coastal settlement areas vulnerable to disasters, with an emphasis on the impact of sand mining until the year 2050. The research methods encompassed quantitative and qualitative approaches, including coastal change analysis using ArcGIS, in-depth interviews, and statistical methods. The research findings highlighted a significant increase in coastline changes, reaching an erosion area of 511.3 m² in 2022. Projections until 2050 indicate a potential maximum erosion of 1,157.22 m². This research employed the analytic hierarchy process, focusing on social, economic, physical, and biotic environmental aspects to formulate disaster mitigation strategies. However, implementing environmental management policies faces challenges, such as a lack of competence in relevant departments and low awareness among mining permit owners. Therefore, strategic recommendations involve enhancing human resource capacity, strengthening oversight, and providing economic support as critical steps to reduce mining activities.

An advanced GIS based approach for the assessment of coastal inundation in the storm surge region (Krishna District) of Andhra Pradesh, INDIA

Climate change leads coastal areas to suffer from rising sea levels, flooding, storm surges and cyclones which can cause irreparable harm to people and their assets. The mapping of these alterations to the coastline can assist in sustainable coastal development and surveillance. The current research emphasized the susceptibility of coastal inundation in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, which is the State’s most vulnerable place to flooding and cyclonic storms. The Indian Meteorological Department website (mausam.imd.gov.in) was accessed to get latitudinal and longitudinal data on cyclonic storms that hit the area recently. The satellite imagery was acquired from Google Earth and USGS (earthexplorer.usgs.gov) to map the coastal settlements within 25 km radius of the coastline and to generate Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to identify the coastal inundation vulnerability up to 5.0 M contour elevation (2m, 3m, 4m and 5m). According to findings, there was a small impact of coastal inundation up to 4 meter sea level rise, so the research primarily concentrated on the assessment of coastal inundation with 5 meter sea level rise. A total of 512 settlements studied for coastal inundation encompassed an area of about 11405.4 hectares. The DEM identified that a large number of settlements in the Krishna District are on the verge of coastal inundation. About 125 settlements (24.5% settlements) with an area of approximately 2099.5 hectares are most vulnerable to coastal submergence, accounting for 18.5% of the studied area. This damage exposure assessment helps local government and policymakers to counteract extreme inundation events.

Refining Holocene sea‐level variations for the Lofoten and Vesterålen archipelagos, northern Norway: implications for prehistoric human–environment interactions

ABSTRACTThe Lofoten and Vesterålen archipelagos are located off the outer coast of northern Norway far from the center of the former Fennoscandian Ice Sheet and near the continental shelf edge. Existing relative sea‐level (RSL) data indicate a pronounced mid‐Holocene transgression and interesting connections with the region's prehistoric human settlement history. Here we present seven new sea‐level index points from isolation basins and five terrestrial limiting points from a coastal sedimentary sequence to refine the region's RSL history. Ingression and isolation contacts in isolation basin sediment cores are identified using sedimentary geochemical data, scanning X‐ray fluorescence profiles and phytoplankton analysis. The ages of these contacts are determined using radiocarbon‐based age models. Our index points range from 11.2 to 1.5k cal a bp and are combined with previously published data to predict the spatiotemporal evolution of sea level in this region using an ensemble of spatiotemporal empirical hierarchical models (STEHME). The new RSL curve constrains the timing of the mid‐Holocene transgression, which occurred from c. 9 to 6k cal a bp when sea level increased from −4 to 7 m above present day. From c. 6 to 5k cal a bp, RSL rapidly fell to c. 4 m above present values, and more gradually declined at an average rate of c. 0.8 m ka−1 over the last 5k cal a bp. Isobase maps derived using the STEHME show a decrease in the regional shoreline gradients since the transgression maximum from 0.25 to 0.07 m km−1. Our data also better define how RSL variations influenced the location and preservation of coastal settlement locations and harbors from the early Stone Age through historic intervals, improving understanding of regional human–environment interactions.

Continuity and climate change: the Neolithic coastal settlement of Habonim North, Israel

ABSTRACTSedentary occupation of the southern Levantine coast spans from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic C to the Early Bronze Age Ib phase (c. 7000–3100 BC). Sites dating to the Early Pottery Neolithic (c. 6400–5500 BC) are scarce, however, potentially reflecting the effects of the 8.2ka climatic event. Here, the authors present the investigations at the submerged site of Habonim North off the Carmel Coast. Typological and radiocarbon dating indicate an Early Pottery Neolithic occupation and evidence for continuity of subsistence and economic strategies with both earlier and later Neolithic cultures. The results indicate the resilience of coastal communities in the face of significant climatic uncertainty and contribute to understanding human responses to environmental change.