ABSTRACT
Concern about the economic, environmental, and cultural toll of urbanization continues to grow, particularly in our rapidly developing coastal areas [1,2]. Of the estimated 3,502,309 (2007 U.S. Census estimate) people living in the state of Connecticut, almost 40% reside in the 36 coastal towns of the state. These towns encompass about 897 square miles, or only about 18% of the state’s total land area, but offer some unique anthropogenic and natural landscapes. For example, Connecticut’s two largest populated cities, Bridgeport and New Haven, are located within this region. Once thriving industrial centers, these cities represent some of the most intensively developed areas of the state. Several towns along the western coast comprise the “Gold Coast” of Connecticut, wealthy suburbs of New York City, which provide their own unique form of housing, commercial development, and open space
patterns. Also, the two largest casinos in the United States, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, in addition to Pfi zer Pharmaceutical’s new Global Research and Development headquarters are located in the eastern region, all recently contributing to signifi cant housing growth and related impacts on the coastal landscape of Connecticut.
