Coastal Identity and Resiliency: The Case of the Upper Texas Gulf Coast

The Houston-Galveston region is faced with extraordinary dangers related to catastrophic weather events. Inland flooding and coastal inundation from hurricane related tidal surge, rainwater flooding and high winds make many areas extremely hazardous for most land uses and building types. This has long been the case but the dangers are increasing rapidly. Local communities and ecosystems are increasingly being challenged by the global threat of climate change and population growth. The number and severity of hurricanes and tropical storms is growing. Sea level is rising. At the same time the population is exploding in many of the most dangerous coastal areas. Throughout the world and along the Texas coastline, unprotected homes, businesses, critical infrastructure and major industrial facilities are being placed in harm’s way. A growing portion of our population and economic engines are increasingly at risk. How to protect and manage these areas is an urgent question. This paper will examine current regional planning and design responses to this challenge and compare these responses to historic strategies. State of the art tidal surge and wave modeling, and meteorological and satellite imaging technologies have given planners and designers the opportunity for the first time to identify and quantify the risks faced by specific geographic locations, constructed environments and ecosystems. This information has made it possible to prepare a range of site-specific responses to the threats and opportunities faced by any location along the Texas coastline. With these tools in hand, and in anticipation of political debate and compromise as plans move toward implementation, a menu of resiliency strategies and design responses have been prepared, including proposals for the protection and restoration of wetlands and barrier islands, a full range of alternatives for the construction of the region’s first comprehensive levee and integrated parkland/wilderness refuge system, as well as proposals for the hardening of infrastructure in unprotected areas. Urban design studies for various levee alignments and a proposed major new National Recreation Area will be described in detail. Current plans for the protection and enhancement of the upper Texas coastline will be compared to regional design and planning proposals to deal with similar conditions in other parts the Gulf Coast- including Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, and other parts of the world including Seattle, Washington, and coastal Chile.

Volume Editors
Ikhlas Sabouni & Jorge Vanegas