managed retreat

English

Noun

managed retreat (plural managed retreats)

1. The coordinated ending of coastal development; abandonment, demolition, and relocation of human-made structures; and migration of people away from a shoreline that is allowed to migrate inland.
   • 1991 October 14, Fiona McWilliam, “Major crack-down on established defences”, in Construction Weekly‎^[1], volume 4, number 38, page 15:

     Other methods under investigation, for situations where managed retreat is not an option, include building up offshore banks […]

   • 2011 October 27, Marty Sharpe, “Residents may have to quit Haumoana homes”, in Stuff‎^[2], retrieved 2021-09-03:

     The groyne proposal was put forward by a group of residents opposed to managed retreat.

   • 2017 April 18, “Sunken Pleasure”, in Scientific American:

     Ewing thinks this type of managed retreat will become more common as people start to understand the onerous cost of relentless nourishment.

Related terms

• managed realignment, coastal realignment

Further reading

• “Managed Retreat”, in Beachapedia‎^[3], Surfrider Foundation, 2019 October 10, retrieved 2021-09-03