Fishing in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica (photo: three sad tigers/ Flickr.com)
For cities and metropolitan areas, sea-level rises imply an unprecedented exposure to flooding, erosion and extreme weather events. Coastal cities, moreover, are also exposed to pollution of waterways, a higher incidence of water-borne diseases in tropical regions, and flooding during the wet seasons. For these reasons, coastal towns, metropolises and regions should be proactive advocates of the preservation of sea and marine resources – and, on the other hand, should be aware of economic, social and environmental potential and benefits of the ‘blue economy’ that the achievement of Goal 14 can promote and support. In October 2017, the city of Malmö (Sweden) will be hosting an international conference on Local Governments for the Ocean. Many local and regional governments have implemented spatial plans to regulate formal and informal residential areas alongside the coast or waterways. Cities are taking action to enhance sustainable urbanization in these sensible contexts. In Brazil, the national plan for coastal areas expects to increase from 5% to 20% the total number of coastal municipalities with clear coastal planning schemes. Since cities are at the core of the water consumption chain, upstream measures on water and waste management have a significant impact on preserving waterways and maritime life. In Costa Rica, coastal towns on the Gulf of Nicoya have implemented a participatory project in Municipal Management of Solid Waste, with the support of the Waste Agency of Catalonia. By 2025, the project aims at preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution of all types, including terrestrial activities, marine debris and nutrient contamination. In 2010, Manila, in the Philippines, established a resettlement plan for informal settlers living in vulnerable areas along the coast. This programme was an instrument to address the exclusionary patterns of urban development that had pushed the most vulnerable communities onto the edges of the city’s economic, social and political life. In Rosario, Argentina, the municipality is enforcing regulation on development projects on coastal areas, levying a municipal tax to retain the added-value of private projects. In Northern Europe, local and
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