Commentary: Changes up and down San Diego’s coast trigger familiar battles
San Diego’s identity is inextricably tied to its coastline, a widely cherished wonder that is in a constant state of change. Depending on one’s perspective, the region’s seashore has been enhanced or diminished by human endeavors for generations, all the while being shaped by natural forces. Those elements currently are coming together in a big way, changing — or potentially changing — the San Diego coast. Numerous projects touch on issues involving coastal protection and access, climate change and sea-level rise, and public safety and transportation. Most have touched off familiar conflicts of varying intensity. Some of the projects are completed or will be soon, while others are years away or still on the bubble. Taken collectively, the changes could be transformational.
-Written by Michael Smolens, columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune.