CITIES AND THE GLOBAL POLITICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT Series Editors: Michele Acuto, Joana Setzer and Elizabeth Rapoport BLUE BIOPHILIC CITIES Nature and Resilience Along The Urban Coast Timothy Beatley Cities and the Global Politics of the Environment Series Editors Michele Acuto University College London London, United Kingdom Elizabeth Rapoport Urban Land Institute London, United Kingdom Joana Setzer London School of Economics and Political Science London, United Kingdom Aims of the Series More than half of humanity lives in cities, and by 2050 this might extend to three quarters of the world’s population. Cities now have an undeniable impact on world affairs: they constitute the hinges of the global economy, global information flows, and worldwide mobility of goods and people. Yet they also represent a formidable challenge for the 21st Century. Cities are core drivers not only of this momentous urbanisation, but also have a key impact on the environment, human security and the economy. Building on the Palgrave Pivot initiative, this series aims at capturing these pivotal implications with a particular attention to the impact of cities on global environmental politics, and with a distinctive cross-disciplinary appeal that seeks to bridge urban studies, international relations, and global gover- nance. In particular, the series explores three themes: 1) What is the impact of cities on the global politics of the environment? 2) To what extent can there be talk of an emerging ‘global urban’ as a set of shared characteristics that link up cities worldwide? 3) How do new modes of thinking through the global environmental influence of cities help us to open up traditional frames for urban and international research? More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/series/14897 Timothy Beatley Blue Biophilic Cities Nature and Resilience Along the Urban Coast Timothy Beatley School of Architecture University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia, USA Cities and the Global Politics of the Environment ISBN 978-3-319-67954-9 ISBN 978-3-319-67955-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67955-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017954972 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub- lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: Détail de la Tour Eiffel © nemesis2207/Fotolia.co.uk Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland P a reface and cknowledgements Blue Biophilic Cities builds upon and extends several earlier book projects, including Blue Urbanism (2014), which was an initial attempt at fleshing out some of the main ideas discussed here. The chapters that follow seek to integrate more clearly the concepts of blue urbanism and biophilic cit- ies, and also build on my earlier work on biophilic city planning and design. I argue that coastal cities offer special opportunities to foster deep connections to the wondrous marine environment around them—indeed that we must begin to understand that “nature in the city” includes those organisms, habitats and natural processes that may less obvious but are no less important or worthy of wonder. As coastal cities take steps to recon- nect to the marine realm, they will have chances to build, grow and design in ways that will make them more resilient in the face of rising sea levels rand climate change. A special impetus for this book arises from an ongoing documentary film project, which is nearing completion. With a tentative title similar to this book (Ocean Cities), this collaboration has led to interviews with key individuals, site visits to key blue cities, and much of the content in the pages that follow. Many thanks are due to Chuck Davis, my filmmaker- colleague, who has helped shape the ideas in the film and who has worked so creatively and diligently to make it a reality. It is hoped that this book will serve as an important supplement or companion to the film, which builds on an earlier documentary venture, The Nature of Cities, which aired on many Public Broadcasting System stations around the USA. We have similar high hopes for the new film. The latter relies heavily on v vi PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS interviews with blue–urban leaders around the country and the world, and I thank these many people for their time and for sharing their con- siderable insights. A number of interviewees who shared their knowledge are due thanks. These include Josh Byrne, James Cason, Carrie Chen, Calder Deyerly, Murray Fisher, Heidi Hughes, Roland Lewis, Adam Lindquist, Theodora Long, Alan Lovewell, Jane Lubchenco, Bruce Mabry, David McGuire, Peter Malinowski, Wallace J. Nichols, Kate Orff, Bob Partrite, Orrin Pilkey, Alexander Rose, Sandra St. Hilaire, Jason Scorse, Paul Sieswerda, Peter Singer, Lindsey Stover, Stena Troyer, Harold Wanless and Julien Zaragoza. Most of the interviews were in person, often in conjunction with on-camera filming, and some were by phone. In several places I draw from a Planning Magazine column I write every other month called “Ever Green.” In Chap. 4, discussions of Ocearch’s efforts at tagging and monitoring sharks draws on an earlier longer draft of a column in Planning Magazine, as does a discussion of Baltimore’s Healthy Harbor Initiative in the same chapter. A great many stories and interviews are conveyed in the following pages to follow. I hope I have represented them accurately, but as usual I take full responsi- bility for any errors in fact or emphasis. Some important ocean issues are not dealt with here, or only in pass- ing. The problem of plastics and ocean garbage, and efforts to control and collect them, are not addressed, nor are the many promising efforts to generate power from the ocean. Readers specifically interested in these topics are referred to the earlier book, Blue Urbanism. c ontents 1 Future Cities: The Blue and Biophilic 1 2 Planning for the Balance of Danger and Delight 19 3 An Unsustainable Bounty from the Blue: Cities to  the Rescue? 39 4 Making the Marine World Visible: Fostering Emotional Connections to the Sea 57 5 Rethinking the Blue–Urban Edge 79 6 Just Blue (and Biophilic) Cities 103 7 Conclusions and Trajectories: Future Cities that are Blue and Biophilic 115 Bibliography 133 Index 137 vii l f ist of igures Figs. 1.1 and 1.2 Singapore has emerged as an exemplar of a biophilic city and has changed its official motto from Singapore Garden City, to Singapore City in a Garden. Image credits: Tim Beatley 4 Fig. 1.3 Blue biophilic cities seek to rethink the many ways they impact or connect with the marine world, including through the harvesting and consumption of seafood. Image credit: Tim Beatley 8 Fig. 1.4 The sea lions on Pier 39 in San Francisco are a major attraction, and a glimpse of blue wildness nearby. Image Credit: Tim Beatley 11 Fig. 1.5 A goal of Blue Biophilic Cities is to provide extensive contact and connection with the marine world. Here joggers in Coogee Beach, near Sydney, Australia, enjoy a remarkable coastal walkway with dramatic views. Image credit: Tim Beatley 15 Fig. 2.1 New York City is expanding its water transportation network in many ways, including through water taxis and by doubling its ferry service. Image credit: Tim Beatley 21 Fig. 2.2 Brooklyn Bridge Park, shown here, is one of New York City’s new waterfront parks, and illustrates the city’s new emphasis on physical and visual connections to water. Image credit: Tim Beatley 24 ix x LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 2.3 Mr Trash Wheel, shown here, is located in the inner harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, where it utilizes river current and solar energy to collect waste and debris. Image credit: Adam Lindquist, Healthy Harbor Initiative 27 Figs. 2.4 and 2.5 Miami Beach has been elevating roads in neighborhoods such as Sunset Beach, shown here. It creates an interesting physical disconnect between street level and storefront entrances, and sometimes, as shown on the right, a sheltered seating area for customers. Image credit: Tim Beatley 30 Figs. 2.6 and 2.7 Rotterdam has employed a variety of urban design strategies to retain and control water. Shown here is the Bethemplein—a so-called “water plaza” that serves to collect and retain rainwater, but on sunny days adds a public space to the neighborhood. Image credit: Tim Beatley 35 Fig. 3.1 The Pikes Place Fish Market is an iconic institution in Seattle, Washington, and a popular tourist destination. The market is now only selling fish that are sustainably harvested. Image credit: Tim Beatley 42 Fig. 3.2 Along the edges of Sydney’s South Beaches there are many opportunities to find and interact with marine life. Shown here is one of the many signs erected by Randwick Council to help residents look for and identify some of the more common marine species they are likely to see. Image credit: Tim Beatley 44 Fig. 3.3 The Fog Harbor Fish House Restaurant in San Francisco has committed to serving only sustainably harvested seafood. Here the general manager show the author the so-called “white board” in the kitchen, which summarizes and keeps track of all the seafood purchased and served in the restaurant. Image credit: Tim Beatley 46 Figs. 3.4 and 3.5 Calder Deyerley, shown here, is proud of his family’s fishing heritage. He fishes along the Californian coast near Monterey using sustainable techniques, and sells his fish to local restaurants and to the local CSF.  Image credit: Tim Beatley 48 Fig 3.6 Oyster aquaculture is one promising and more sustainable option for producing food from the sea. In New York Harbor, the Billion Oyster Project is