The (Brief) History of Land Reclamation

Let’s take a look at where else we’ve used this system before (even in our very own New York City).

The original idea of Land Reclamation

Land reclamation is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds, or lake beds, along the coasts of cities. This new land is used to expand the urban footprint in locations in high economic demand, such as for ports and new offices and residences in central urban areas along harbors or seas. Land reclamation is an ancient practice, that continues worldwide into the 21st century, as it can help cities grow and succeed.

Land reclamation can also be used to make cities more resilient from climate change by protecting shorelines from rising sea levels and storm surges.

We’ve already created new land in New York City

Today, lower Manhattan is nearly 50% larger than when the Dutch settled on the island. When the Dutch created New Amsterdam, they built canals and shored up the riverbanks foster commerce and economic development. During the English period, Lower Manhattan was expanded two blocks into the rivers on both east and west sides to create more land for new buildings and to expand port facilities.

Starting in 1855, New York created Battery Park from landfill. In the 1970s, the city built our Battery Park City, an x city-within-a-city, that had nearly 1500 housing units. About a quarter of the fill came from excavated material from the World Trade Center site.

A History of Land Reclamation

as described by Dr. Jason M. Barr

Ancient Projects

Land reclamation is a practice that goes back to the dawn of civilization. Arguably, the process of land reclamation had a strong hand in creating civilization. In ancient Mesopotamia, where the world’s first cities were born, residents would dig canals to channel water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to create arable farmland. It has been argued that the coordination efforts needed to undertake this process gave rise to an urban bureaucracy which then developed writing and helped to contribute to the rise of the region’s great cities and empires.

Centuries later, when the Roman Emperor Constantine founded Constantinople in 330, his ambition was, in some sense, too successful. Within fifty years of its founding, the population had outgrown the limits of the town within the walls. The need for more space led to adding land in the sea, a process which has continued to the present day in Istanbul.

The Netherlands arguably more than any other country perfected the art of land reclamation. Some 65% of its territory would otherwise be underwater, were it not for its construction of dunes, dikes, and pumps. During the 16th and 17th centuries, many lakes north of Amsterdam were drained and reclaimed for agricultural use. Windmills were used to pump these lakes dry. In the 19th century, Lake Haarlem became the largest lake drained in the Netherlands and one of the first to be drained using steam-powered pumps alone. In the 20th, the Zuiderzee tidal estuary was drained and reclaimed, producing an additional 637 square miles (1650 square km) of land for agriculture, recreation, and urban expansion.

In Early US History

When the Dutch arrived in New York City in 1624 they found Manhattan’s lowlands similar to that of their fatherland. They created canals that drained the wetlands and shored up the coastline to facilitate commerce, trade, and defense. The English continued this tradition of landmaking by expanding the streets outward into both the East and Hudson Rivers. In the mid-19th century, these streets were connected at the lower tip with the creation of the 25-acre Battery Park, made with landfill. A similar story can be told with Boston. Since 1630, it has been expanded by 30,000 acres through landfill.

Around the World

More recently, Asian cities have used land reclamation to expand their urban footprints. A common practice is to use reclamation for airports This was done for Logan Airport in Boston, Hong Kong International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Additionally, reclamation has been used to expand harbor and port spaces. Today, with container shipping, urban ports need deep water channels and berths, and large lots of flat land to process and warehouse containers. Port expansion using landfill has been done in Singapore, Malaysia, and many cities in mainland China, such as Shanghai.

Reclamation projects have also been used for urban real estate and amenities. The 92-acre Battery Park City is built on reclaimed land along Lower Manhattan, and home to some 16,000 residents. Boston’s Back Bay was created on landfill in the mid-19th century and remains one of its nicest residential neighborhoods. The West Kowloon Arts District in Hong Kong, build on reclaimed land in Victoria Harbor, hosts cultural venues and park spaces. In Singapore, land reclamation was used to create a new central neighborhood with the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel and surrounding park and recreation space.

The Future

Today, land reclamation is controversial. Arguably the most contentious issue is the impact on natural ecosystems. Draining wetlands can destroy native habitats. Creating new land through dredging can destroy or harm coral reefs and underwater habitats. And there can be unintended consequences from changes in water currents.

However, we should reconsider the benefits of land reclamation, especially in older, dense cities, because it offers several benefits.

First, many older cities already destroyed their natural habitats in the 18th and 19th centuries.

New York and Boston removed many of their natural wetlands through reclamation. This was done at a time when eradicating mosquito-borne diseases, for example, by draining wetlands was seen as good for social health.

Land reclamation offers the opportunity to recreate these wetlands and return native species. It enables the promise of increasing biodiversity by planting native plants and trees. Retaining walls in the sea can be build with crevices and overhangs to provide shelter for marine animals and areas for nesting. Those who promote the concept of urban forests can see some of this land used to plant more trees and for urban forest parks.

Secondly, because of sea level rise and climate change-caused storm surges, many coastal areas are at high risk.

Big cities are economic engines, and managed retreat will harm the local and national economies. While some cities can build underwater seawalls that rise just before a storm surge, they are expensive and rarely used. Land reclamation offers the benefit of protecting the current housing around the shorelines by creating a new buffer zone. And the new land can be built at a higher elevation and with wetlands, berms, and dunes to absorb surges.

Lastly, new land offers the opportunity to build more desperately needed housing.

NIMBYism and restrictive building regulations have led to skyrocketing housing costs because many neighborhoods are off-limits for new construction. Adding new land through reclamation can provide new housing without any displacement. If built and managed wisely, this new land can create new vibrant neighborhoods with a range of housing types, including affordable units, great park space, and new natural habitats. And, given today’s high real estate prices, this new land can be paid for by the revenue generated by new construction.

Where else has this taken place?

  • Boston, MA

    About one-sixth of Boston in made of landfill. In 1855, the city created the Back Bay to create a new residential neighborhood. It also expanded the land in Boston Harbor to improve its port.

  • Hong Kong

    About one-third of developed Hong Kong is on made land along the harbor. The reason is that much of Hong Kong is mountainous terrain, too steep for housing or offices. As a result, Hong Kong has been making new land since it was created as a British colony in 1842. Today, Hong Kong is building out some 1700 hectares to add new housing. In the 2000s, Hong Kong created the West Kowloon increasing the size of the Kowloon peninsula by one-third and extending the waterfront into the harbor by as much as one kilometer. It will also be used for various purposes, including public and private housing for over 100,000 people, Government and community facilities, and recreational areas.

  • Singapore

    Singapore first began land reclamation in 1822 in the British tradition of draining wetlands and expanding the shoreline to improve port facilities. Dirt and stone from nearby hills were used to fill the low-lying areas on the southwest bank of the Singapore River. The new land was carved into lots and sold to investors. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Singapore continue to expand through reclamation for port extension, as well as for defense.

  • The Netherlands

    The Dutch have a long history of land reclamation and shoreline resiliency to protect their country against the sea and create new land for its residents. In English, the word “Netherlands” literally means “lowlands” or “under-lands.” According to one study, 65% of the country would otherwise be underwater at high tide if not for the dikes, dunes, and pumps. Land reclamation in the 20th century has added 637 square miles (1,650 km2; 165,000 hectares) to the country’s land area. The Dutch are extending their shorelines today to prevent sea level rise from inundating the country.