The lost waterfront of New York

Abstract

No integrated municipal policy exists for managing the New York City waterfront. Despite much rhetoric and many proposals to renew the city's coast, the municipal government has done little to improve the city's coastal shoreline. External organizations and citizens’ groups have been largely responsible for efforts to improve the use of the city's coastal resources. This article assesses the role of the city government and analyzes the factors affecting its performance in coastal management. It proposes new policies to foster local initiatives and encourages private and public cooperation in the revitalization of the coast. Given the size and diversity of the city's coast, an incremental strategy may be the most feasible and sensible approach to recapture the city's lost waterfront.     

The Impacts of Recreational Four-Wheel Driving on the Abundance of the Ghost Crab (Ocypode cordimanus) on a Subtropical Sandy Beach in SE Queensland

There is increasing concern regarding the impacts of recreational four-wheel driving (4WDing) on sandy beach environments. The ghost crab Ocypode cordimanus is a widely distributed Australian species that utilizes beaches and dunes for constructing burrows and for foraging. Comparisons of ghost crab abundances (using burrow counts) in areas “open” and “closed” to recreational 4WDing were conducted on exposed sandy beaches on North Stradbroke Island, off the coast of southeast Queensland. Beaches where recreational 4WD activity is present had significantly lower ghost crab abundances than beaches where it is absent. The most plausible reason for this difference in abundance is that ghost crabs are highly vulnerable to being crushed by beach traffic when feeding on the beach at night. To mitigate the impacts of recreational 4WDing on ghost crab population management intervention is needed. Possible changes to the management of recreational 4WD activity include the setting aside of areas free of recreational 4WD activity for the conservation of biodiversity, or a prohibition on driving on the beaches between dusk and dawn. There is also a need for a consistent and transparent approach in Queensland for quantifying and monitoring 4WD activity in sandy beach environments.     

The urban port: A hidden resource for the city and the coastal zone

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the changing pattern of activity on the urban waterfront. It examines developments in marine transportation technology and in the economic structure of the central city that have influenced the function of the urban port. Drawing upon data related to the West Side of Manhattan, the impact of the changes in cargo and passenger ship operations on the urban port is described and analyzed. A twofold strategy for public agencies to identify and understand the opportunities presented by technological change and to formulate policies for the redevelopment of the urban coastal zone is discussed.