Coastlines and communities: A preliminary glance at the relationship between shoreline armoring and sense of place in Puget Sound
A 2019 report from Oregon State University examines how community members, including non-property owners, value shorelines in Puget Sound. The report emphasizes the impacts of shoreline armoring on survey respondents' sense of place in the region.
Summary excerpt
Puget Sound's shorelines contribute to the social-ecological richness of the region. Due to coastal population increases and sea-level rise, among other pressures, natural shorelines are being modified with hard shoreline armor (e.g.,seawalls, riprap, etc.). Such infrastructural modifications are known to negatively impact natural nearshore processes and ecological systems, like forage fish habitat. While much is known about the ecological impacts, there remains a dearth of research on the relationship between shorelines (including armor) and social systems (e.g. coastal communities). In order to better understand this relationship, Dr. David J. Trimbach from the Human Dimensions Lab and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University conducted a study focused on shorelines and Puget Sound communities’ sense of place.
Citation
David J. Trimbach. 2019. Coastlines and Communities: A Preliminary Glance at the Relationship between Shoreline Armoring and Sense of Place in Puget Sound. Human Dimensions Lab, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University. Corvallis, Oregon.
