2.3.2 MAP 2: The State-of-the-art Map: Mini case studies
Various “mini case studies” of state-of-the-art projects (S-O-T-A) (i.e. speculative, unbuilt and realised projects) and various ontological standpoints (i.e. theoretical and legal frameworks) have been referred to and discussed to support the arguments presented throughout this monograph. These have also been collated and consolidated into one geographical Kumu map under “S-O-T-A analysis”, which can be accessed between the global and national scale/network nodes (see Figure 46 below).
Figure 46. Critical survey of the state-of-the-art projects worldwide and in Denmark. This map is a geographical aerial photo of the world with various nodes embedded with relevant information. These nodes contain different S-O-T-A projects and ontologies, categorised and marked with a corresponding USS proposition it adheres to.
For examples of the different S-O-T-A nodes, see Table 3 below.
These S-O-T-A projects worldwide were mapped as nodes with connection lines to other relevant nodes in the Kumu map. They are defined and categorised into nine main categories[113] that aid in exploring the Urban Seascaping propositions and answering the research questions presented above. The criteria for selecting relevant state-of-the-art works were based on whether they adhere to any of the critical propositions outlined by Urban Seascaping (see section 3.3[114]). Thus, these S-O-T-A projects have also been categorised according to the various USS propositions each of them adheres to, as shown in Table 3, category 1. Screenshots of some of the examples of various S-O-T-A projects in the Kumu map are shown in Table 3 below.
Nine main categories of
S-O-T-A
Different manifestations
of the category
Examples of actual and/or hypothetical
projects
1. Art installations
i.e. urban artistic sculptures or initiatives that integrate the agency of the water and/or marine lifeforms.
e.g. A temporary artistic installation bridge called “On water” by Ayşe Erkmen in Münster, Germany, where Erkmen uses the submerged bridge to engage with the water differently by getting the citizens to get their feet wet.
Refer to the node in Münster, Germany, called “On Water” in the Kumu map. This precedent has been referred to in Part III, Section 3.2.4, Figure 90 (see the example screenshot below).
NB: This project adheres to the second USS proposition of “inviting the agency of the water” (labelled number 2 and in pink border) by utilising the water as part of the design and experience. This project is an art installation (in purple) and, therefore, is categorised as such. Each node contains basic facts about the project, such as the main actors involved, budget (if known), year of completion, location/region, references, and which USS proposition it adheres to.
Nine main categories of
S-O-T-A
Different manifestations
of the category
Examples of actual and/or hypothetical
projects
2. Coastal adaptation projects
i.e. soft approaches, hybrid approaches, (marine) nature-based solutions, blue commons, blue infrastructure, water-sensitive urban design, coastal adaptation, etc.
e.g. Project such as the New Urban Ground in NYC is an unbuilt state-of-the-art coastal adaptation project using nature-based solutions such as wetlands.
Refer to the node in NYC, USA, called “A New Urban Ground” in the Kumu map. This precedent has been referred to in Part III, Section 3.2.3, Figure 88 (see the example screenshot below).
NB: This project adheres to the first USS proposition of “multispecies coexistence” with wetlands (labelled number 1 and in red border) and the third USS proposition of “Beyond walls” (in yellow border) through nature-based solutions and increasing permeability through greening the streets.
Nine main categories of
S-O-T-A
Different manifestations
of the category
Examples of actual and/or hypothetical
projects
3. Education and research
i.e. marine stewardship, ocean literacy, marine centres
e.g. Malmo Marine Education Centre in Sweden, educates the public about ocean life through exhibitions, field trips, research dissemination and consultancy. Refer to Part I, Section 1.5.2, Figure 20.
4. Marine nature reserves (MPA)
i.e. marine protected areas (i.e. Natura2000) and coastal nature reserves
e.g. The Goat Island Marine Reserve in New Zealand, demonstrate the positive impact on local biodiversity.
Refer to Part III, section 3.2.4, Figure 98.
5. Marine nature restoration project
i.e. artificial coastal lagoons,
e.g. Gyldensteen Strand in Fyn was a former wetland converted into farmland via land reclamation, and dikes were reflooded into a coastal lagoon to form a new marine habitat and an education centre. Refer to Part III, section 3.2.4, Figure 95.
6. Seaweed-related endeavours
i.e. sea gardens (for food), art, education, traditional cuisine, and cultural practice of seaweeding
e.g. Havhøst sea gardens growing and promoting seaweed and mussels as sustainable local food sources across Denmark. They host various educational activities across the country.
Refer to the node in Copenhagen, Denmark, called “Havhøst” in the Kumu map. Also, This precedent has been referred to in Part I, section 1.5.2, Figure 20 (see the example screenshot below).
NB: This project adheres to the first USS proposition of “Multispecies coexistence” (labelled number 1 and in red border) and the fourth USS proposition of “Making the invisible visible.” These two propositions are met through the implementation of the “bølgemarken” (wave market), a floating platform that allows the interaction between humans and nonhumans.
Nine main categories of
S-O-T-A
Different manifestations
of the category
Examples of actual and/or hypothetical
projects
7. Urban planning/ municipal policies
i.e. Urban planning regulations, policies,
e.g. The Six borough as an urban planning proposal to consider the coastal waters of NYC as a borough like land-based ones. Refer to Part III, section 3.2.5, Figure 100.
8. Alternative world views on water
i.e. ontologies and epistemologies that present an alternative understanding of water
e.g. Whanganui River in New Zealand has been granted legal personhood, which is an example of an intrinsic value proposition of a natural entity in light of the Maori worldview of viewing nature as a human, a family member.
Refer to the node in Whanganui, New Zealand, called “Whanganui River” in the Kumu map. This precedent has been referred to in Part III, section 3.2.5 (see the example screenshot below).
NB: This project adheres to the second USS proposition of “Inviting the agency of the water” and the fourth USS proposition of “Making the invisible visible” by recognising the river’s invisible entity as a living being into the visible realm via policy (i.e. legal personhood status).
Nine main categories of
S-O-T-A
Different manifestations
of the category
Examples of actual and/or hypothetical
projects
9. B-A-U / status quo of urban development in coastal cities
i.e. territorial bias, hard approaches to coastal protection, land reclamation projects (ocean sprawl),
e.g. Lynetteholmen and Aarhus Bugt land reclamation projects and waterfront development models such as Aarhus Ø (Aarhus Docklands). Refer to Part III, section 3.1.5, Figure 60.
Table 3. Eight main categories for the critical survey and review of the state-of-the-art precedents that support USS propositions, and another category (9th) to critique the current B-A-U development model in coastal cities. These S-O-T-A and B-A-U cases are presented throughout the monograph to support a particular argument in various chapters.
The S-O-T-A categories presented in this map focussed on looking at alternative approaches to waterfront/harbourfront development, different responses to SLR/SS in coastal cities and ways to integrate and protect marine life. For instance, S-O-T-A Category 2 (Coastal adaptation projects) looked into projects that went beyond the typical hard approaches (based on the third USS proposition of “Beyond the edge”). This meant investigating projects that are soft approaches, including marine nature-based solutions such as integrating salt marshes, oysters, mussels, and seaweed into the urban realm. Within the existing body of research, these “soft approaches” are less explored than the well-known engineered “hard approaches”. As such, this area of development represents a research gap that I argue needs to be explored further. While the soft nature-based solutions are typically in the realms of marine biologists (but not excluded from the analysis), I have looked specifically for design projects by architects, landscape architects and urban designers in an effort to situate these within the LUPD disciplines. Many of these S-O-T-A projects are new, speculative and unbuilt projects (or in the process of construction). Moreover, they are mainly examples from the developed world[115] due to their transferability and relevance to the Danish context. However, it was not only limited to them.
For the Danish context, relevant S-O-T-A projects included pilot projects from Realdania (i.e. “Cities and the rising seawater” initiative from category 2, refer to Figure 46), seaweed educators (i.e. Havhøst from category 6) and large-scale land reclamation projects as coastal protection (i.e. Lynetteholmen from category 9) to name a few.
[113] These nine categories were initially based on my attempt to look for precedents that could help answer the main research question. Therefore, category 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 became relevant with its focus on coastal adaptation with marine nature (especially seaweed). Furthermore, in looking at Kanten/The Edge design competition brief as a case study, where it asked the entrants to consider alternative views on water, artistic and educational merits (see section 4.1.1 on the competition brief), category 1, 3 and 8 became relevant (1. Art installations, 2. Coastal adaptation projects, 3. Education & Research, 4. Marine nature reserves, 5. Marine nature restoration projects, 6. Seaweed-related endeavours, 7. Urban planning/ municipal policies, 8. Alternative world views of water).
[114] The four main critical propositions of Urban Seascaping are: First, “multispecies coexistence (i.e. with seaweed)”, second, “invite the agency of the sea”, third, “beyond walls” (i.e. beyond hard approaches to coastal adaptation) and last, “make the invisible (marine realm), visible.” See section 3.3 for the development of these four main USS propositions.
[115] For instance, due to the aftermaths of catastrophic events, such as Hurricane Sandy in NYC and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, there has been numerous coastal adaptation projects from the United States of America.