Protecting Coastal Communities: Managing Change

John R. Mullin, University of Massachusetts
Zenia Kotval, Michigan State University

Abstract

Many New England coastal communities have long been protected from large-scale development. Marked by poor accessibility, stiff land-use and zoning restrictions, and a resistance to municipal water and sewer infrastructure, they have been able to control the pace and type of development. Today, however, technology has made the coast and islands more accessible. At the same time, fishing and fishing-related endeavors such as boat building that for hundreds of years supported communities' economic vitality have ceded to industries such as tourism and the construction of vacation homes.