Galveston Bay

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Area	Galveston Bay
Place	Galveston, Texas
Country	USA
Topics	Nature Protection
Author(s)	Margaret Weber

Rationale

Galveston Bay is the seventh largest estuary in the United States and houses three trans-Atlantic ports, one of which is the second most productive port in the United States. It is bordered to the west by the fifth largest metropolitan area in the nation and is affected heavily by stormwater runoff and pollution from both the urban and industrial areas upstream and on its shores. Heavy tropical storms batter its coastlines and barrier islands to the south. Although it is highly productive as an industrial area, the health of the ecosystems found within it are in question. The unique composition of the barrier islands, salt water marshes and shallow water creates a plethora of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems unique to this bay that must be protected as the area becomes more developed and storms increase in magnitude.

Location and scope

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A Landscape System Analysis

A.1 Landscape layers and their system context

Geomorphology, landscape units and coastal typology

• Description of evolution, status quo and driving forces, is the coastal typology changing? Why is that? (approx 200 signs)

The landscape is comprised of flat grass marshes, prairies, lagoons and brackish ponds, shoals, and sand beaches. It has been settled and rapidly urbanized with piers, road infrastructure, residential houses, industrial factories, hotels and harbors of various sizes. The inner bay is protected from the Gulf of Mexico by the barrier island which has been built up over millions of years by Pleistocene sediments, marine mud, sand, and degraded shells. Land degradation is common here, not only from rapid urbanization and industrial pollution, but also from erosion caused by tides and strong tropical storms.

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  Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Galveston Bay, Texas

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  Barrier island formation

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  Marshlands encroached upon by housing development

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  Swimmers on the beach, oil and port rigs on horizon

Land use

The bay area developed rapidly from its settlement in the 19th century to today, mainly as an industrial area with ports, oil rigs and factories. Vacation homes are attractive along the Galveston Island, and tourist attractions follow. Fishing is common along the shores and from boats. Various storms and hurricanes have kept the growth in check with mass destruction and steady erosion, but never slowed it.

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  Galveston Bay & vicinity, circa 1900

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  2017 land use

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  Galveston port, barrier island, and nearby marshlands

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  People lounging on sandy beaches near Pleasure Pier

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  Galveston coastline: beaches, highway and housing

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  32 miles of Gulf of Mexico beachside houses

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  Nature preserves include marshlands, beaches, grass prairies & brackish lagoons

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  Oil rigs directly off shore in shallow bay waters

Green/blue infrastructure

• What are the major potential elements of a green/blue infrastructure network? Are these likely to change/disappear? Why is that?

Galveston Bay is comprised of The major elements of the green/blue infrastructure are coastal prairies, estuarine emergent wetlands, palustrine emergent wetlands, conservation zones and parks, beaches, oyster reefs, ocean, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, river mouths, lagoons, & connected lakes. People utilize the beaches to traveel along the coastline, while pathways through the nature preserves connect nature to humn settlement. Various dredged canals allow for boat and ship passage through the shallow waters. As climate change makes water rise, need for canals will decrease, and beaches will be pushed further upland.

• Background material on green infrastructure in reading list

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  Green and Blue landscape features and their relationships

Actors and stakeholders

• Who is driving changes in this landscape? Who is affected by those changes?

This area has a variety of powerful actors and affected stakeholders. Climate change and the rising water levels and increasing tropical storms and hurricanes that come from the change are the most prominant driver to the landscape. The most powerful actors are the people behind the market demands and the economy, which includes industrial tycoons and their businesses, commercial fisherman, offshore oil business, the government, and developers. Based off the market, these actors will develop the land as much as possible. If weather destroys the progress, it will eventually be rebuilt - either by the original individuals or someone else. The actors that are affected but have less power are the workers, tourists, sport fisherman, and people that live along the coast. They buy the goods and live in the houses, but do not fully control the changes. The actors that are the most affected and have the least power are the wildlife and their ecosystems, the health of the various habitats, the cleanliness of the waters, and the future generations.

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  Power Map: Galveston Bay

Sacred spaces and heritage

• Which places/elements hold cultural value and to whom?

There are a number of places that are culturally important. They include nature preserves and parks that embody the bay's natural state and where Native Americans once resided, battle grounds of the Texas Revolution, and a historical district that is home to some of the oldest, most-ornate Victorean-era houses in Texas. They are important to the people as historical monuments, educational sites, and areas that can be enjoyed generations later.

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  Location map, Galveston Bay

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  Bishop's Palace, one of many Victorean-era houses in the East End Historic District, Galveston, TX

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  The San Jacinto State Historic Site and Monument is where a battle for Texas Independence was fought between Texan rebels and the Mexican army, 1836.

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  The Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier was openned in the early 1900s, when the island was known as a site for gambling and wealthy families' vacations. Today, it is modernized and open to the public.

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  The Galveston Island State Park is home to a variety of ecosystems. It is enjoyed by visitors and locals.

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  The Brazoria National Wildlife Preserve is home to a variety of ecosystems and is important to the wellbeing of the Galveston Bay estuary. It is enjoyed by visitors and locals.

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  The Brazoria National Wildlife Preserve is home to a variety of ecosystems and is important to the wellbeing of the Galveston Bay estuary. It is enjoyed by visitors and locals.

Visual appearance and landscape narrative

• Which elements are essential for the landscape character?
• Has the landscape been painted or otherwise depicted, when and whom? Which elements are essential?
• Which narratives exist? Who has written about this landscape or depicted it in some way?
• You can add text and images

• Your case character1.jpg

  add a caption

• Your case character2.jpg

  add a caption

• Your case character3.jpg

  add a caption

A.2 Summary of you landscape system analysis and your development Targets

• You can summarize your findings with an DPSI(R) Model or a Spider Diagram
• Link back to the Sustainable Development Goals: Which goals are at risk?
• What is your hypothesis for this landscape?
• Visualise your hypothesis with one graphic/pict
• Are there any existing initiatives taking action in this landscape? Do you have a critical perspective on that?
• Add text and visuals

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  Graphic specifies who drives the landscape and its changes, what are the pressures on the landscape from these drivers, what is the resulting state of the environment from the pressures, what impacts occur following the changing state of the environment, and what responses are made in order to improve the problems arising.

• Your case your hypothesis visual.jpg

  explain your hypthesis briefly in the caption

A.3 Theory reflection

• Reflect on at least three international policy documents in relation to their local landscape case
• choose one international, one European and one national document
• You can choose references from our reading list
• Scope: 250 words

A.4 References

• give a full list of the references you have used for this section

Phase B: Landscape Evaluation and Assessment

B.1 Assessment Strategy

• Based on the hypothesis derived from your previous landscape systems analysis you are now asked to define the goals for assessing the landscape. Your assessment is the basis for evaluating the landscape status.
• Which elements and phenomena need to be mapped, why and how?
• This a text contribution, max 250 words

B.2 Mapping

• As defined by your assessment strategy you conduct the mapping and present your findings here
• As a minimum, at least three different themes need to be mapped, you may choose more if needed

• Your case your assessment mapping themel.jpg

  briefly explain the findings of your mapping

• Your case your assessment mapping theme2.jpg

  briefly explain the findings of your mapping

• Your case your assessment mapping theme3.jpg

  briefly explain the findings of your mapping

B.3 Problem definition and priority setting

• Give a summary of the major findings of your mapping process, what are the problems/potentials identified?
• Draw a problems/potentials map
• Set priorities for the most relevant issues

• Your case problems potentials map.jpg

  add caption here

B.4 Theory reflection

• Please reflect the assessment and evaluation methods used based on at least three readings
• Did you encounter limitations'
• 200 words test contribution

B.5 References

• give a full list of the references you have used for this section

Phase C – Strategy and Master Plan

C.1 Goal Setting

• Define strategic planning objectives based on the evaluation findings
• Link back to your original targets from section one and the Development Goals
• 150 words text contribution

C.2 Spatial Strategy and Transect

• translate your strategic goals into a vision
• develop a spatial translation of your vision
• exemplify your vision in the form of a transect with concrete interventions
• add map(s) and visualizations

• Your case spatial translaton vision.jpg

  add caption here

• Your case transect.jpg

  add caption here

• Your case transect detail1.jpg

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• Your case transect detail2.jpg

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C.3 From Theory of Change to Implementation

• For implementing your vision: Which partnerships are needed? Which governance model is required?
• Who needs to act and how? Draw and explain a change/process model/timeline
• Which resources are needed? On which assets can you build?
• add 150 words text and visuals

• Your case spatial your governance model.jpg

  add caption here

• Your case spatial your process model.jpg

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C.4 References

• give a full list of the references you have used for this section

D. Process Reflection

• Reflect in your intercultural and interdisciplinary team on the outcomes of your study
• Which limitations were you facing?
• What have you learnt from each other?
• What would you do differently next time?
• You can also use diagrams/visuals
• 250 words text

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