The New Coast : how can an environmentally sustainable model of coastal development be developed?

Abstract

How can we sustainably develop the coastline as a part of urban area for the future? How can we develop the coastline with environmental tourism? This project is about developing the coastal zone for tourism in environmentally sustainable ways, and also about protecting the lifestyles of local residents. Auckland is a world-famous city, 70% of the city’s area consists of coastal waters. Geographical features show that Auckland is a coastal city, with many coastal resources; nevertheless most of Auckland’s coastline is still in an undeveloped state, and some beaches show natural erosion or man-made pollution. Most coastal cities around the world develop their coastline as a regional priority, because of economic and environmental factors. As a coastal city, Auckland has great potential for development in this area, whether from the perspective of urban development or ecological protection or basic services for residents. On the other hand, with the rapid development of urbanization in Auckland, land has become the main reason for limiting the future development of Auckland. For New Zealand as an island country, its coastline is the most abundant resource, which may also add to Auckland’s future development and provide a valuable reference.

As the largest city in New Zealand, Auckland has been a transit point for tourism, coastal development may be a great help. In maintaining this potential economic resources as a driving force for urban development, this project is based on these questions and deals with them through the development of environmentally sustainable ideas for landscape architecture design practice. This topic also includes; aesthetics, recreation, leisure, early investigation of sociological and ecological features, the involvement of coastal stakeholders and the local population in the planning process, exact site selection and environmental design.

Designing an environmentally friendly coastal zone will further enhance the ability of stakeholders to better develop and protect coastal zones and form a new consensus is the aim of the research. The design methodology is based on an environmentally sustainable development concept that includes both social and environmentally sustainable development. Through the process of nding a test site in the coastal region and creating a new environmental analysis model, a new design model has been created. The main objective of the project is to create a new methodology to be used as a reference in the environmental assessment of coastal areas, The results will drive both coastal settlement design methods and regional economic development, thus helping in the planning for the future development of the larger coastal zone.