ABSTRACT
The past 50 years wasmarked by an increase in themovement of populations to coastal regions such that close to half of the industrialized world now lives within a kilometer of the coast (Healy and Hickey 2002). The accompanying growth of urban development in such areas has seen many countries like Japan, Dubai, Singapore, The Netherlands and Monaco expand seawards in a bid to ease demands on coastal land resources. The scarcity of land is one line of argument for the colonization of ocean
space. A second line of argument relates to lifestyle choices. The 1992 editorial of Aquapolis 4 drew attention to Australia where the majority of the population lives along the southern and eastern coasts. Although land pressure does not appear to be as great in Australia, The Sunday Age Magazine (April 18, 2004) noted a current trend of “sea change” that has produced thousands of suburban-style subdivisions around “erstwhile coastal villages.” This new-style suburban sprawl forced Victorian planning minister, Mary Delahunty, to announce new boundaries to limit this rapid coastal development in January 2004 (Houston 2004). With populations in coastal areas set to increase, coastal resource manage-
ment becomes critical (Healy 1995). The Floating Structures Association of Japan has lobbied supplementing urban sprawl inland with expansion outward into the sea through the employment of Very Large Floating Structures (VLFS) pontoon technology that will reduce the impact on the environment. Such technology will not only provide relief from population pressures, but, as pointed out in Aquapolis 4, enhances the intimate relationship between coastal cities and their offshore environments.
