Harnessing urban coastal infrastructure for ecological enhancement

Owing to a combination of increase in coastal population and processes related to global climate change, intense coastal development is inevitable. Shallow-water habitats are prone to be replaced by structures such as seawalls and breakwaters. While adding ample hard substrate to the seascape, these structures are not surrogates to natural habitats, and are often associated with nuisance and invasive species. These differences are attributed to design features including high inclination, low complexity and high homogeneity – all atypical of natural habitats. To date, coastal infrastructure has been designed with limited consideration to marine life developing on it. Consequently, its ability to provide ecosystem services similar to those offered by natural habitats has been severely compromised. This paper presents two case studies implementing ecological enhancement at the Brooklyn Bride Park waterfront. Both strategies are examples for restoring viable ecosystem services while also serving structural and societal goals. The first is an example of structural repairs of aging pier piles, by applying innovative technology of ecological concrete encasement which creates valuable habitat. The second is an example of boosting the ecological performance of a constructed riprap waterfront, by integrating precast tide-pools that add water-retaining habitat features lacking from standard coastal infrastructure.