Implications of land reclamation

Abstract

The best use of land is a main concern in Urban Planning. Living on a small island like Malta, everyone wishes to own some property in a coastal area. In the past decade, this demand gave rise to unplanned developments and limited the possibility of coastal landscaping and other public projects. The study considers land-reclamation as a solution to more public development in coastal areas. Many of our Ports, beaches and seaside villages are short in developable land. Coastal activities namely, tourist resorts, cargo handling and other port activities are the basis of Malta's economy and so land reclamation together with other re-embellishing projects would surely be a solution to satisfy the above mentioned needs. The study does not only involve technical matters related to land reclamation, but focuses on the socio-political aspect and environmental implications involved in reclamation projects. This was only possible by deep evaluation of various case studies being both local and foreign. Other aspects include tile various costs involved and the feasibility of such projects, a careful study of the Impact on the environment and the possible use of specially selected materials (including waste), as a main filler to make these projects sustainable. Finally the study includes a selection of strategic sites around the Island with a need of additional space to be regenerated and propose solutions, w1·1ic!1 would improve the overall setting of the area.