Why America stopped reclaiming land from the sea — and what we lost
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Summary
This article explores the history of land reclamation in America's coastal cities, revealing that about 8% of land in major coastal cities was underwater in the 1890s and has since been filled in. It covers famous examples like the Lincoln Memorial (built on Potomac River tidal flats), Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, and Chicago's Northerly Island. The piece examines why the West largely stopped land reclamation half a century ago — due to environmental regulations, changing priorities, and cost considerations — while countries like the Netherlands, Singapore, China, and Dubai continue aggressive land reclamation. It argues that there is still plenty of land left to reclaim and explores the engineering, political, and environmental dimensions of this practice.
Source
Twitter / XWhy America stopped reclaiming land from the sea — and what we lostworksinprogress.coKey quotes
· 3 pulledIn total, around eight percent of the land in America's major coastal cities was underwater in the 1890s and has since been reclaimed.
Some of America's most famous land was reclaimed from the sea. The Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Reflecting Pool all sit on earth reclaimed from Potomac River tidal flats in the early twentieth century.
We stopped half a century ago, but there is plenty more land left to take.
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