The Urban Amphibious

Abstract

Is coastal history a subdivision of maritime history, or does it represent a clear break with past scholarship? This chapter argues that the emergence of coastal history is part of a deep, far-reaching transformation that has crystallized over the last twenty-five years. It considers some of the new terms and concepts and adds to these a three-part taxonomy of the “coastal-urban forms:” the urban foreshore, the urban offshore, and the urban estuary. It avoids nostalgia by considering these in the contemporary context, and concludes by suggesting that current conflicts—for example, those over sea level rise and “coastal squeeze”—may offer a stimulating vantage point for reappraising the urban amphibious in many different historical periods.