Rising Sea Levels: Preparing for Flooding

An urban waterfront designed for sea-level rise. The traditional vertical seawall is replaced by a wide, thirty-meter-long gentle slope with a composite cross-section: the section closest to the sea is a submersible salt marsh and gravel beach, planted with salt-tolerant herbaceous plants; above that is a wide, stepped platform made of large concrete blocks, which can be used for seating and also functions as a wave-dissipating structure; further up is a continuous pedestrian path and trees. The entire cross-section's elevation rises from the water surface to a protective height two meters higher than the current level, but because it is a gentle slope, people do not feel blocked by a wall. Tidal marks and attached algae can be seen at different elevations. Avoid: using a vertical concrete seawall, making the cross-section narrow, eliminating tidal marks and ecology, completely separating people from the water.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一段為海平面上升設計的城市濱水岸。傳統的垂直海堤被替換成一道寬達三十公尺的緩坡複合斷面:最靠海的一段是可以被淹沒的鹽沼與礫石灘,種著耐鹽的草本;往上是一道寬闊的階梯狀平台,由大塊的混凝土塊構成,可以坐人也是消波結構;再往上才是連續的人行步道與喬木。整段斷面的高程從水面一路升到比現況高兩公尺的防護高度,但因為是緩坡,人並不覺得被牆擋住。可以看見不同高程的潮痕與附著的藻類。避免:使用垂直的混凝土海堤、把斷面做窄、消除潮汐痕跡與生態、讓人與水完全隔絕。