Coastal Services Center

Human Dimensions

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Coastal Community Development (Smart Growth)

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Alternatives for Coastal Development

The Alternatives for Coastal Development Web site illustrates three different development scenarios created for a residential area in coastal Georgia. Economic, environmental, and social indicators are calculated and compared for each scenario. This information will be useful to anyone (developers, citizens, local governments, etc.) interested in applying similar development design components in their communities.

Smart Growth Training

There are many state and local officials who have a general sense of what better coastal growth entails but seek a deeper understanding to implement the principles associated with smart coastal development. To build this capacity, this activity will develop training curriculum and work with state and local partners to deliver the training. The overall purpose of the training is to enable participants to enhance coastal planning and development in their community. The target audience for the training will be local and regional decision makers and planners; however, NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will partner with state coastal resource offices to deliver the most effective training.

Coastal Community Planning and Development

Massachusetts Docks and Piers Visualization

Coastal resource managers have reported that managing residential docks and piers has become increasingly complex. Issues including public access, navigation, environmental health, and aesthetics make managing these structures difficult. This project uses computer animation to illustrate several different dock and pier management scenarios at a real-life study site in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Also available at the upcoming project Web site will be easy-to-use inventories of current state regulations on small docks and piers.

For more information contact the Human Dimensions staff at nos.csc.human.dimensions@noaa.gov.