Join this research network

This website is open to new members who wish to post new research and design or planning proposals about adaptation in coastal cities. Our focus is on climate change as a driver of adaptation, but of course other issues matter as well — economic and demographic trends, port activities, biodiversity support, fisheries, and so on.

Whether you are a professional, an academic, or a student — if you think you have something to share that could help, please accept our invitation to participate in the discussion about how coastal cities can meet their challenges! Just email the editor (kzhill@virginia.edu) to find out how to join.

Looking forward to welcoming your ideas,

Kristina Hill, PhD (Editor)

Associate Professor

University of Virginia

Graduate Design Studio, University of Virginia

Led by:  Kristina Hill, PhD

Associate Professor

This course deals with coastal adaptation by exploring the applicability of the Dutch “sand engine” concept to American shorelines. The sand engine is a large island or promontory of dredged sand that was placed strategically on the Dutch coast just north of Rotterdam in January of 2011, where the dunes need to be widened to protect the coast from storms. The Dutch idea is simple– create habitat on the new sandy island, and let the waves carry it onto the shore to thicken the dunes over time. Money and fuel are saved by not pumping the sand directly onto the shore and spreading it with bulldozers, which is the standard practice in so-called “beach nourishment” projects all over the world.

Since many American coastal areas will face increased flooding and erosion over the next several decades and more, as a result of increased rates of sea level rise and continuing geologic subsidence, we’re working on ideas for how to use the Dutch sand engine approach, and do it well. Our goals are to bring together inspiring aesthetic experiences, habitat and recreation benefits, as well as the structural benefits for beaches and dunes.

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Foundation Studio II: “Form follows flows”

Course Description spring 2011

The primary questions of this course are (1) whether can we propose forms by starting with an understanding of flows? And (2), does it make a difference in our proposals if we conceive of flows before forms?

This course challenges students to use an understanding of the flows of organisms, materials, and energy in landscapes as a point of departure for proposing a civic landscape, the public park, in the context of an urbanizing field pattern.

This year, the studio will begin by exploring the Dutch strategy of using artificial islands or spits that are built with dredged sand as a way of expanding the sand dunes along their coastline for storm protection. The flows involved are first the flow of material to the island site via dredge boats. Second, the wind and wave effects that alter the island and redistribute its sand to other locations (including tidal forces, wave action, seasonal winds, storm events, and increasing rates of sea level rise). Third, the flow of organisms: colonization by plants and animals, migratory use by animals, and predation by carnivores. And finally, the flow of human organisms that come to the island /spit for recreation and as part of a culturally-mediated aesthetic experience.

sand engine links to student proposals
sand gauge links to student proposals

Graduate Thesis: Design Proposals

Laura Sasso Grounded Structuration

Grounded Structuration investigates a process for amplifying the potential relationship between the design of the public realm and the politics of community. The design explores how site specific meaning and meaningful experiences can be associated with the retrofitting of infrastructure in New Orleans’ St. Roch community. St. Roch is named after the patron Saint of Good Health, memorializing the community’s auspicious beginning. Ironically, a fragmented drainage network, contaminated soils and blighted properties now threaten the vitality of the once thriving community. Reimagining the community from the ground up is an opportunity to reinvigorate the health of St. Roch.