Drive through many coastal communities around the country and you could see fences around abandoned industrial sites affixed with signs warning of danger and to keep out. Urban waterfronts that bear these scars can be a sobering sight to the traveler looking for the beauty of the shore and give the impression of a community that has seen better economic times.
But it can be a challenge for local communities to revitalize these areas. Redevelopment of these "brownfields" can be complicated by contamination, which represents an overwhelming number of financial and regulatory issues that have to be negotiated at the local level. Rather than reusing these areas, it often has been easier for communities to support development of "greenfields" at the urban fringe, creating new issues relating to sprawl and the loss of natural resources.
What's a community to do?
The cover story of this edition of Coastal Services profiles the efforts of the New York Division of Coastal Resources to help municipalities redevelop degraded waterfronts. Their model community is Glen Cove on Long Island's shore. With state coastal management support, Glen Cove has prepared a comprehensive redevelopment strategy that has been a catalyst for successful federal, state, and local partnerships, and millions of dollars in public and private investments. The result has been impressive strides to realizing the city's vision for creating a working port that serves as both a tourist destination and an area supporting light industry.
For communities struggling with issues similar to those being taken on by Glen Cove, a new book addressing disposal of toxic sediments may be of interest. Muddy Waters: The Toxic Wasteland Below America's Oceans, Coasts, Rivers, and Lakes was written by Beth Milleman and published by Coast Alliance, Clean Ocean Action, and the American Littoral Society. The book provides information on the problems caused by contaminated sediment and offers solutions.
-- Margaret A. Davidson
