Can Malta afford boathouses on its coasts?

Abstract

In this study the community of boathouses at St. Thomas Bay was studied. A qualitative research analysis was carried out, detailing the daily life and experiences of the recreation squatter that pass an extensive time of their summer in a boathouse. This study focused on how the community • Evolved and spread in time. • Why people pursue such an activity. • How the recreation squatters assimilate to the land occupied and the community that is created • The environmental impact of such a recreational activity. A sample of thirty recreation squatters was studied using qualitative research analysis. It was found out that the community tends to go to the bay to recreate itself during the summer. It was also noted that people of the same interests in life tend to gather together and form networks of friends. Males tend to have different lifestyles than females and these differences are pronounced in the hobbies they pursue. Even though the recreation squatters are living in cramped and unhygienic conditions they would not change their location for it is close to their homes and away from the order and routine of everyday life. These communities therefore pose a "wicked problem" to the planner as they are complex and solutions are not easily found.