Multifunctional Performance of Coastal Structures Based on South Florida Coastal Environs

Coastal communities around the globe are facing the related challenges of sea-level rise, more frequent and extreme storm events, and deteriorating coastal water quality. A multidisciplinary research team with expertise in architecture, ecology, economics, engineering, design, and public art surveyed existing coastal structures to elucidate criteria for a multifunctional performance assessment of these structures in South Florida. Eight coastal survey sites were evaluated to understand their function. Two key variables that affect the coastal structure function are the spatial extent of the structure and the age of the structure. The functional performance was ranked as poor, fair, or good based on (1) ecological functionality (rugosity, minimization of pollution, and coastal plant diversity), (2) engineering functionality (storm, wave, and flood resilience and affordability), and (3) stakeholder functionality (waterfront access, views, and wildlife views). These aspects of functionality were equally weighted to evaluate the impact of each component on the coastal environs. Generally, coastal structure design considers primarily engineering functionality, and these designs consequently have poor ecological functionality. Multifunctionality improved with the horizontal extent of the structure, the occurrence of coastal plants in a buffer zone, and increased public access and use.

Automated summary

Coastal communities globally are facing challenges of sea-level rise, extreme storm events, and deteriorating water quality. A multidisciplinary research team in South Florida evaluated eight coastal survey sites to understand the function of coastal structures. The study found that multifunctionality of coastal structures improves with horizontal extent, presence of coastal plants in buffer zones, and increased public access and use.