Abstract
Urbanization and in specific sprawl, has for quite a long time has been a main issue in urban analysis and planning strategies. There can be no doubt that the foremost tradition in urban studies has given sparse intention to water in urbanization. The few researches traded waterscapes as a case in studies of social, environmental, and economic perspectives focusing on the physical and natural aspects. Historically, sea has played an essential role as a shaper and a generator of urbanization were all the ancient civilizations were founded along. Accordingly, these territories have an important cultural heritage that represents a source of identity, which plays a key role in maintaining the link between past and future. Despite that, the coastline is a victim of its own assets, its richness, shared and governed at the same time by a plurality of texts, often indecisive applied in an uncoordinated manner by the institutions. This has stimulated the expansion of coastal territory and gave rise to greater inequality. Within the realms of urban planning and design, urban planners and architects have adopted many challenges. In fact, while cities grow and their populations increase, their planning becomes a challenge for sustainable development. Throw different forms and mechanisms coastalization phenomenon is materialized, by the massive occupation of populations and industrial activities along coastline. In this vein, coastline endures many conflicts, which led to landscapes degradation and changes in the global of its structure and image. For this, a better understanding of the spatial dynamics of coastal sprawl should be a precondition. The aim of this article is to contribute to bridge the knowledge gap, by discussing planning approaches and challenges related to managing cultural and coastal landscapes, facing the impact of coastal sprawl. The present paper is based in the first part on a landscape analysis; it interviews the urban, social, juridical and morphological context through the lens of Annaba’s coastline. Which contributes strongly to the identity and history of conquest of the city and the landing of the marine army on the 27th of March, 1832. Furthermore, a cultural heritage that tells the story of conflicts, conquests and social practices. The paper then considers the impact of coastal sprawl by providing different study frames, in order to analyze the changes in land use in urban environments which allows a historical perspective of land use. Although the comparison of continuous landscape images in spite of coastalization helps to determine which sensitive points are to be preserved or enhanced. The recognition of the huge impact of coastalization practices and understanding its implications and causes allows the preservation of cultural landscapes, to ensure their continuity. The results demonstrate the ambiguities of public policies for the coast, which can act alternatively as drivers of development or conservation and at times of both, and therein lays the importance of a contextual analysis of their role. Moreover, we identified and investigate the factors correlated with coastalization related to changes of the image and landscape structure in the selected area, during the evaluation of the studied case. In fact, suggested coastal development plan that aims the integration of the studied case reinforce the memory of the coastline in the mind of the society to better protect and recognize the heritage interest. The paper concludes with mounting challenges that many urban planners face in relation to inverting forms and trends in urban planning. Also, provides important results for future adjustments, potential enlargement of knowledge and more appropriate methodologies associated to tools that correlate the specificity of coastline and the presence of the cultural assets.
