Littoralization
Littoralization (also littoralization or littoralization ) is a technical term from francophone geography that describes the increased settlement of the sea coasts that began in the 1970s. Littoralization originally only referred to the urbanization and suburbanization processes in the Mediterranean area , but the technical term has meanwhile also become common in English-speaking geography and regional science and is mainly used for the recent coastal settlement processes taking place worldwide in the context of global change . In the French press, however, the term is still only used for urbanization and suburbanization processes in the Mediterranean region. In German usage, the term littoralisation or littoralisation has hardly been used in public, apart from specialist publications.
The coastal settlement process in the context of global change
In English usage, the term is mostly used to refer to a trend in urbanization that has been observed for several decades. Urban growth occurs predominantly in cities that are not far from the coast. In 2012, 80 percent of the world's population lived no more than 60 miles from the seashore. Of the 25 largest cities in the world, which have more than 10 million, only four - namely Beijing, Moscow, Delhi and Tehran - are not located near the coast. This trend also brings with it special problems.
Particularly vulnerable to natural disasters
The proximity of large cities to the coast makes them particularly vulnerable. The most obvious vulnerability is to natural disasters or rising sea levels as a result of climate change. This is particularly evident in the example of Dhaka , the capital of Bangladesh. Dhaka is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, only Lagos, which is also on a sea coast, and the Chinese city of Chongqing are growing at a similar rate . Around 1950 there were only 400,000 people in Dhaka, 12 million around the turn of the millennium and almost 15 million people in 2013. The massive immigration of the rural population is due, among other things, to the fact that the rural areas of this country suffer from extreme poverty, salinisation of the soil and water pollution. As a result of this immigration, overpopulated and marginalized slum areas have emerged, which lack water, sanitation and electricity. At the same time, most of the urban area is only slightly above sea level. Floods in 1998 caused 60 percent of Dhaka's urban area to be flooded, killing more than 1,000 people and causing more than $ 4 billion in damage. Even without climate change, there is an increased risk that people will die in the event of flooding and that massive economic damage will be caused, as more and more low-lying areas are being populated due to population pressure.
Particularly vulnerable to attacks or terrorist attacks
Cities near the coast are also at greater risk of enemy attack than cities far inland. Open sea areas, which are more difficult to control than land areas, are better suited as a deployment area for an enemy great power. However, modern weapon technology has made a significant contribution to the growth of the so-called “littoral zone” in which such a risk exists. During the war in Afghanistan , for example, the US military established a base in the interior of Afghanistan using naval ships and helicopters transporting troops, some of which were refueled in the air. They covered a distance of 689 kilometers. However, a greater risk is seen in the fact that the security problems of cities, which have long coastlines in addition to roads and airports, are increasing exponentially. The fact that the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula is considered the most dangerous city in the world is also due to its proximity to Honduras' only major seaport in Puerto Cortés , which is only a 45-minute drive from downtown San Perl Sula. Weak state power and connections via ports, airports and roads have made San Pedro Sula one of the major hubs in the international drug trade. During the terrorist attacks on November 26, 2008 in Mumbai , the city's unclear coastline made it possible for ten armed terrorists to penetrate the city. The terrorists had hijacked an Indian fishing ship on November 23, brought it close to the city and then used two rubber boats to penetrate the densely populated peninsula of Mumbai. Both boats chose slum areas in the city as their landing point. The landing of both inflatable boats was noticed by local people. In one case, the strikingly well-dressed men could explain their appearance by the fact that they were students. In the second case, they intimidated other fishermen with the help of their weapons. The latter were probably convinced that the terrorists belonged to smugglers or members of a criminal gang.
literature
- David Kilcullen: Out of the Mountains. The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla. Oxford University Press, New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-19-973750-5
Web links
French-language contribution to the discussion on Californisation and Littoralization in Tunisia .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Explanatory blog post in the Paysagesblog [1] on the phenomenon of littoralization in connection with hurricane Xynthia [2]
- ↑ David Kilcullen: Out of the Mountains. The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla. Oxford University Press, New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-19-973750-5 . P. 30
- ↑ Doug Saunders: Arrival City: How the Largest Migration in History is Reshaping Our World . Knopf Canada, Toronto 2011, ISBN 978-0-307-39689-1 . P. 48
- ↑ David Kilcullen: Out of the Mountains. The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla . Oxford University Press, New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-19-973750-5 . P. 234
- ↑ a b David Kilcullen: Out of the Mountains. The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla . Oxford University Press, New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-19-973750-5 . P. 235
- ^ Latin America dominates worlds most dangerous cities. Insight Crime, February 8, 2013 , accessed June 17, 2014