Urban planning and sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise

Abstract

Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal land uses, and therefore to urban planning processes. In theory, if done well, urban planning can lead to responses to sea-level rise that are socially and environmentally sustainable. In practice, urban planning processes may fall short of this ideal. We use multiple methods to describe and analyse how urban planning processes have led to adaptation to sea-level rise in Lakes Entrance in Victoria, Australia. Adaptation has principally taken the form of restrictions on development on low-lying land. In this town, which is considered particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, the urban planning process and its outcomes have been controversial a..