Five concepts in planning theory useful to coastal management

In recent years coastal resource management has begun to stand as its own discipline. Its multidisciplinary naturegives it access to theory situated in each of the diverse fields which it may encompass, yet management practicesoften revert to the primary field of the manager. There is a lack of a common set of “coastal” theory from whichmanagers can draw. Seven resource-related issues with which coastal area managers must contend include: coastalhabitat conservation, traditional maritime communities and economies, strong development and use pressures, adaptationto sea level rise and climate change, landscape sustainability and resilience, coastal hazards, and emergingenergy technologies. The complexity and range of human and environmental interactions at the coast suggest astrong need for a common body of coastal management theory which managers would do well to understand generally.Planning theory, which itself is a synthesis of concepts from multiple fields, contains ideas generally valuable tocoastal management. Planning theory can not only provide an example of how to develop a multi- or transdisciplinaryset of theory, but may also provide actual theoretical foundation for a coastal theory. In particular wediscuss five concepts in the planning theory discourse and present their utility for coastal resource managers. Theseinclude “wicked” problems, ecological planning, the epistemology of knowledge communities, the role of the planner/ manager, and collaborative planning. While these theories are known and familiar to some professionals working at the coast, we argue that there is a need for broader understanding amongst the various specialists working in the increasingly identifiable field of coastal resource management. (PDF contains 4 pages)

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. EPA Coastal Management Branch

U.S. Geolgocial Survey

NOAA Sea Grant