RADICAL MOVEMENT. Coastal technologies, sediment process and culture of barrier islands (Cornell University)

Barrier islands, comprised of dunes, lagoons, and tidal wetlands, frame the east and gulf coast of the United States. Formed and altered through wind and wave action, barrier islands are in a constant state of dynamic equilibrium. Over the past two centuries, these processes have been stymied in order to create a stable environment for development. As sea levels continue to rise thoughout the next century, barrier islands rely on the currently obstructed erosion, deposition, and overwash process to regress back to the mainland and to higher ground. The discipline of landscape architecture is in a unique position to studt and design a cultural landscape that allows for necessary transformation in the impending sea level rise. This thesis will be positioned on Ludlam Island, a seasonally popullated, and low-lying to explore the ideas of ecological process, technologies and culture. Working across scales, the thesis will focus on the designing intentionally with sediment processes, specifically wind and overwash to facilitate island retreat.