Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Coastal communities are facing increasing
challenges in the form of climate change, rising
sea levels, increased spatial pressure from tourism
and the need for more sustainable and local food
systems. Many historic fishing villages have
developed through long-standing relationships
between sea and land, where small-scale fishing,
maritime knowledge, and strong social ties have
shaped both tangible and intangible cultural
heritage values. This raises the question of how
such coastal communities can meet contemporary
challenges and if cultural heritage can become an
active resource in the process of change.
This thesis examines how cultural heritage can
serve as a driving force in the work of shaping
an adaptable and resilient future. This is done
through a case study of Borstahusen on the west
coast of Skåne. A DIVE analysis has been done to
identify the cultural significance of the place, with
the results showing its historical development
and how maritime practices, the small-scale
settlement structure, and the strong local identity
have shaped the place. Based on the DIVE results
and literature studies, three exploratory scenarios
were developed: Protecting the Coast, Feeding
the Coast, and Selling the Coast, each of which
addresses climate change, food systems, and
increased tourism and exploitation. The scenarios
were designed as a combination of reactive and
proactive futures to highlight how different
directions in development can take place and to
highlight their consequences.
Through two selection processes, the interventions
proposed in the three previous scenarios are
combined into a fourth scenario, The Adaptive
Coast. During the work, a critical insight emerged
regarding the adaptive nature of cultural heritage
and the risk of it being adapted to standardized
and ecologically unsustainable solutions. This led
to the second selection of interventions, in which
four criteria were formulated. These criteria were
formed based on the literature study and the results
of the DIVE analysis, where the starting point was
ecological sustainability and cultural continuity.
The study shows that scenario planning can serve
as an exploratory and communicative tool for
managing and understanding uncertain futures.
This is because the creation of future scenarios can
open discussion, be tested, and adjusted according
to new insights. As cultural heritage is a dynamic
process created by various overlapping processes,
it can help to understand change and contribute to
the development of sustainable and resilient coastal
developments without losing their identity.