Living with the coast
There is something about the sea that has always drawn people toward it.
Across cultures, people have settled along coastlines and returned to the sea for food, livelihood, recreation and escape. The horizon, breeze and rhythm of the waves offer something restorative.
A country of islands
We are a country of islands, surrounded by long coastlines, beautiful beaches, fishing grounds, coral reefs and mangroves. The sea is woven into our memories, from family vacations and childhood summers to fishing communities and weekends away from the city.
Beside my desk in Manila is a simple bowl filled with seashells collected from different places. They remind me of the water, help me relax and often help me think.
This attraction is not uniquely Filipino. Foreigners and expatriates looking to relocate or retire in the Philippines also seek properties by the sea. A coastal property offers something difficult to replicate in the city: the horizon, breeze, sound of waves and a closer connection to nature.
Today, leisure-oriented developments continue to grow in many coastal towns.
However, as more properties are planned along our shores, we need to ask: How do we develop the coast without diminishing what makes it valuable in the first place?
Designing with resilience
For me, responsible coastal development begins with understanding that a property is part of a much larger coastal system.
The first step is not deciding where to put villas, hotels, restaurants or swimming pools.
It is understanding the land and water: elevation, drainage, vegetation, shoreline conditions, adjacent development, infrastructure and exposure to flooding, storm surge, sea-level rise and high winds. Resilience frameworks emphasize identifying these risks before design begins.
Preserving natural buffers
This changes how we approach the masterplan. Instead of filling every developable portion of land, we can identify areas that should remain as natural buffers.
The landscape can absorb and retain rainwater rather than simply drain it away. Coastal vegetation can be preserved as part of the site’s protection and biodiversity.
The landscape is not simply part of the resort experience. It is part of the development’s resilience.
The same thinking applies to infrastructure. Roads, drainage, water, wastewater, power and waste management determine whether a coastal community can function during and after a major storm.
A beautiful resort that becomes inaccessible or loses essential services is not a resilient development.
Planning for recovery
Resilience also means planning for recovery. Where are the safe areas? How will people evacuate or shelter? Can essential services continue during power or communications disruptions? Can the property recover quickly?
These questions belong in planning, not after construction. Resilience is about preparing, absorbing impacts, recovering and adapting.
There is also a limit to what engineering should solve. Some coastal areas may be suitable for development; others may be better left as mangroves, wetlands, dunes or other natural buffers. Responsible development does not always mean finding a way to build anywhere. Sometimes it means building less, moving farther from the shoreline or preserving the land.
This matters because the natural features that make a coastal destination desirable are also those we risk losing through poorly planned development.
The future of coastal leisure development should be about more than a beautiful beach view. It should be about creating destinations that work with the coast rather than simply occupying it.
We will continue to be drawn to the sea. My bowl of seashells is a small reminder of why.
The challenge is to create coastal properties that give people a reason to come to the sea, without taking away the reasons the sea is worth coming to.
The author is a LEED Fellow, ASEAN Architect, UAP Fellow and educator with over 25 years of professional practice in architecture and sustainability
