U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

The pattern of coastal growth—often in scattered and unplanned clusters of homesand businesses—is also significant. Urban sprawl increases the need for infrastructuresuch as roads, bridges, and sewers, degrading the coastal environment while making fragileor hazard-prone areas more accessible to development. Because of the connectionsbetween coastal and upland areas, development and sprawl that occur deep within thenation’s watersheds also affect coastal resources.Strengthening Coastal Planning and ManagementMulti-layered Decision MakingA complex combination of individuals and institutions at all levels of government makedecisions that cumulatively affect the nation’s ocean and coastal areas. These institutionalprocesses determine where to build infrastructure, encourage commerce, extract naturalresources, dispose of wastes, and protect or restore environmental attributes.Many of the decisions that affect the nation’s coastal areas are made by local governmentsthrough land use planning, zoning, subdivision controls, and capital improvementplans. Local decisions are shaped in turn by state policies and requirements. Some coastalstates have developed statewide goals and policies for transportation, land use, and naturalresource protection, with a few states putting specific emphasis on coastal resources.Recognizing that sprawling patterns of growth are not sustainable, several coastal stateshave instituted programs intended to manage growth, including Maine, Oregon, Florida,Washington, and Maryland. By applying a variety of land use planning tools, techniques,and strategies, these programs attempt to steer growth toward existing population centersand away from fragile natural areas (Box 9.2).Existing federal, state, tribal, and local institutional processes have made substantialprogress in managing activities that affect the nation’s coastal resources. However, localand state governments continue to face a number of obstacles in planning and managingthe cumulative impacts of growth, including: disincentives to long-term planning due tothe pressures of short political and business cycles; lack of shared values or political will;inadequate information, including locally relevant socioeconomic indicators; difficulty inaddressing problems that cross multiple jurisdictions including upland areas; insufficientresources dedicated to protecting coastal ecosystems; and multiple institutions at differentlevels of government that address isolated aspects of connected problems. Improved policiesfor managing growth in coastal areas will be essential in protecting and restoring thenatural resources that sustain the character and economies of coastal communities.Although most coastal management activities take place at state and local levels,coastal decision making is also influenced by federal actions, including funding decisionsand standard setting. Of the many federal programs that provide guidance and support forBox 9.2 The Smart Growth MovementFor more than a decade, there has been a call for smart growth, characterized by morecompact, land-conserving patterns of growth, through infill and reuse of building sites,pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented development, and protection of green space. Forexample, in 1997, Maryland instituted a Smart Growth and Neighborhood ConservationInitiative, which tried to direct growth to more environmentally suitable areas and away fromsome of the state’s most ecologically and economically important landscapes. Under this initiative,state agencies limited funding for infrastructure outside of designated growth areas.The Maryland experience provides one model of growth management for consideration byother state and local governments.152 A N O CEAN B LUEPRINT FOR THE 21ST C ENTURY