52 



owns the resources out to 9 nautical miles 

 from its coast; and Florida, out to 9 nautical 

 miles from its Gulf coast. 



Intensification of Coastal Zone Usage 



The most intensive uses of the coastal zone 

 occur at the water's edge. Seaward the prob- 

 lems become fewer if not simpler, and at the 

 edge of the continental shelf, problems of 

 conflicting uses are the exception today. 

 But — and this is a point the Commission 

 must stress — problems of multiple uses of the 

 coastal zone are moving seaward. The Panel 

 Reijort on Management and Development of 

 the Coastal Zone identifies inany areas where 

 the uses of the coastal zone are increasing. 

 As use of offshore lands is intensified, the 

 need for better management practices will 

 become more urgent. 



Shoreline Development 



Patterns of shoreline development vaiy 

 widely from area to area depending upon 

 local topography and economic interests. 

 Across the Nation and throughout the de- 

 veloped countries of the world, the pressures 

 on shoreline space have mounted dramatically 

 over the past 20 years and are certain to in- 

 crease. 



The reasons are clear: the shift of the 

 population from rural areas to the cities (the 

 Nation's seven largest metropolitan areas are 

 on the Great Lakes or the sea coast), the 

 spread of suburban development into coastal 

 areas, and the increased affluence and leisure 

 time of a large part of our population. 



Theoretically, the Nation's shoreline could 

 be increased almost without limit, and the 

 construction of aHificial islands and new har- 

 bors and the use of similar teclmiques to 

 create shoreline will continue in those areas 

 where demand warrants these actions. In San 

 Diego harbor, for example, pressures for 

 additional shoreline space have been partially 



Theoretioally the Nation's shoreline 

 could he increased almost witliout 

 limit. For example, a study by the 

 Deparlmcnt of Housing and Urban 

 Dcicloi>iiH nt liax cstuhlishcd the 

 engineering feasibility of multilevel, 

 floating coastal cities. 



satisfied by construction of two artificial is- 

 lands from channel-dredging spoil. 



Private housing has exercised and will con- 

 tinue to exercise the greatest demand for 

 shore property ; for example, the Boca Ciega 

 Bay area off the west coast of Florida has 

 been completely transformed by housing de- 

 velopments in the past 20 years. But there 

 are other needs that must be met; heavy in- 

 dustry, traditionally located on the water's 

 edge, seeks a cheap source of industrial water, 

 a simple solution to waste disposal problems, 

 and I'eady access to raw material. Pollution 

 abatement requirements have lessened some- 

 what tlie desirability of a waterfront indus- 

 trial location, but rec«nt trends in shipping 

 have increased the demand for deep water 

 frontage. Deep water access will be essen- 

 tial to the future competitiveness of steel and 

 other U.S. industries which process large 



