Marine Space: Manoeuvring Towards a Relational Understanding

Drawing on developments in conceptualizing space within human geography, planning thought has begun to consider the possibilities of relational and socially constructed, as opposed to physically deterministic, understandings of space. This article considers the relevance of this debate to the emerging field of marine planning, as experience of the sea suggests that a relational interpretation of space may be pertinent to planning efforts in the marine environment. This hypothesis is explored by means of an empirical study of the views of representatives of the commercial shipping sector in the Netherlands faced with the prospect of a major expansion of offshore wind energy. Their responses revealed complex spatial dynamics at work, illustrating the production of relational space, that were being poorly served by planning measures. A dominant influence in the understanding of space was the interplay with the complexities of the natural environment, which points in the direction of a closer incorporation of ecological insights in the development of a relational approach to planning for the sea.