How Coastal Cities Are Adapting to Rising Seas

Coastal cities worldwide are implementing creative strategies to adapt to rising seas. Rotterdam has built water plazas that function as recreational spaces in dry weather and stormwater retention basins during floods. The Maeslantkering, a massive storm surge gate, protects the city from North Sea storms. Miami Beach has installed 80 one-way valves on storm drains and raised roads by up to 2 feet in its lowest-lying neighborhoods, at a cost of $500 million.

New York is building the East Side Coastal Resiliency project, a 2.4-mile flood protection system along Lower Manhattan combining parks, walls, and deployable barriers. Jakarta, the fastest-sinking city in the world at 25 cm/year in some areas, is relocating its capital to Nusantara on Borneo. Bangkok is building underground water tunnels. Venice completed the MOSE flood barrier system in 2020, with 78 mobile gates that can seal off the lagoon during high tides.

The Maldives is building Hulhumale, an artificial island elevated 2 meters above sea level, to relocate residents from threatened islands. Nature-based solutions are gaining traction: restoring mangroves, oyster reefs, and wetlands provides natural flood protection while supporting biodiversity. These living shorelines can reduce wave energy by 50-90% and adapt naturally to rising water levels, unlike concrete structures..