Galveston Bay
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Area | Galveston Bay | |
Place | Galveston, Texas | |
Country | USA | |
Topics | Nature Protection | |
Author(s) | Margaret Weber | |
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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
You can edit this map with the map editor
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.
- Yourcase landscapeunits3.jpg
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Land use
- settlements, infrastructure, agriculture, resource extraction, natural areas, energy production...
- description of evolution, status quo and driving forces, is the land use likely to change? Why is that? (approx 200 signs)
- add 1-2 graphical representations to the image gallery, you can add more if you like
- Yourcase landuse1.jpg
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- Yourcase landscapeunits2.jpg
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- Yourcase landscapeunit3.jpg
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Green/blue infrastructure
- What are the major potential elements of a green/blue infrastructure network? Are these likely to change/disappear? Why is that?
- You find my background material on green infrastructure in our reading list
- add 1-2 graphical representations to the image gallery, you can add more if you like
- Your case green blue infrastructure1.jpg
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- Your case green blue infrastructure2.jpg
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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.
Sacred spaces and heritage
- Which places/elements hold cultural value and to whom?
- You may add a map and some images, please also explain in your caption why these elements are valuable
- Your case sacredspace1.jpg
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- Your case sacredspace2.jpg
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- Your case sacredspace3.jpg
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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
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- Your case character2.jpg
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- Your case character3.jpg
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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
- Your case your spider diagram or dpsir model.jpg
explain your analysis briefly in the caption
- 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
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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
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- Your case transect.jpg
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- 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
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- 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