Landscape and Urban Planning 157 (2017) 512–522 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Landscape and Urban Planning journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/landurbplan The shore is wider than the beach: Ecological planning solutions to sea level rise for the Jersey Shore, USA Joanna Burger a , Karen M. O’Neill b , Steven N. Handel c,* , Brie Hensold d , Gina Ford d a Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States b Dept. of Human Ecology, Rutgers University, 55 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States c Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 1 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States d Sasaki Associates, 64 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472, United States h i g h l i g h t s • Coastal landscape planning can accommodate the uncertain pace of climate change. • Ecologically, the shore is functionally deeper than the narrow sandy beach. • Ecological and social functions can be relocated locally to reflect climate change. a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 3 June 2015 Received in revised form 24 August 2016 Accepted 27 August 2016 Keywords: Managed retreat Ecological design Regional planning New Jersey Shore Coastal ecology a b s t r a c t Coastal communities worldwide are faced with climate change effects that include sea level rise and increases in the severity and frequency of storms. We present a framework for coastal adaptation to these impacts in planning efforts, using the landscape of the Toms River-Barnegat Bay ecosystem in New Jersey (eastern coast of United States, 90 km south of New York City) as a case study. This plan is a proof-of-concept, showing that collaborative design can improve the ability of shore regions in many regions to recover from storms and sea level rise if it uses a broad concept of the shore’s ecological and geomorphological structures. Ecological connections are maintained or restored from the sand beach through the tidal bay to the mainland Pine Barrens, allowing species to migrate inland as their ecosystems change over time. This plan also re-envisions shore tourism by attracting visitors to the larger and wider shore area, an approach that can maintain or even increase social and economic activity as sea level changes. Transportation routes connecting the changing shoreline area to inland sites help to integrate social activities throughout the region. Watershed based projects to handle stormwater runoff from severe inland storms are also required. These principles can be applied in any coastal landscape where sea level rise is expected. This approach was fostered and supported by a USHUD program – Rebuild by Design – to incorporate unique, collaborative, architectural and ecological approaches to changing climate and sea level rise in Hurricane Sandy-affected states. These ecological concepts can be adapted for use to maintain biotic and economic processes in threatened coastal communities. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Sea levels are rising along nearly all coasts, worldwide. Coastal communities need plans that will sustain ecology, economies, and social activities, which together drive community persistence. We * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: burger@biology.rutgers.edu (J. Burger), koneill@aesop.rutgers.edu (K.M. O’Neill), handel@aesop.rutgers.edu (S.N. Handel), bhensold@sasaki.com (B. Hensold), gford@sasaki.com (G. Ford). present a framework for adaptation that enhances existing ecolog- ical, economic, and social connections across a heavily populated coastal region, from inland areas to the beach. This conservative and safe approach to sea level rise allows these functions to shift locations over time, as needed, so that shore areas do not have to be abandoned in haste as climate change progresses. We use a case study to assess the potential for ecologically based adaptive regional design that could be used in many settled coastal areas. This plan for the Toms River-Barnegat Bay ecosystem (east- ern coast of United States, 90 km south of New York City) was created under an international competition for innovative coastal http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.08.017 0169-2046/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.