Empowering Communities on the Urban Coastline: Co‐Creation and Conservation in Relational Landscapes

Gloriya Marinova and Anna S. Antonova
Additional contact information
Gloriya Marinova: Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, Bulgaria
Anna S. Antonova: School of Social Sciences and Technology, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Ocean and Society, 2026, vol. 3

Abstract: In a rapidly urbanized world, coastal cities are key arenas for the challenges encountered by coastal communities in the context of sustainable transformations. Among the landscapes most vulnerable to climate impacts and biodiversity loss, urbanized coastlines see heightened frictions between urban transformation, environmental (in)justice, and the unequal politics of coastal planning. Key habitats that could empower communities to better navigate these challenges—wetlands, lagoons, and coastal lakes—increasingly face threats such as land grabbing, overtourism, and ecosystem degradation. Conversely, practices that conserve these spaces have the potential to foreground blue justice and position urban coastlines as places human and nonhuman life can co-evolve through adaptive, caring, and regenerative relationships. Focusing on Burgas, Bulgaria, and drawing on insights from a series of NGO-led projects and initiatives over the last two decades, this article traces practical experiences with co-creative and empowerment practices from urban coastal wetland conservation. Based on this empirical context, the article argues for a more relational approach to advancing blue justice, empowerment, and co-creation in the urban coastal context.

Keywords: Black Sea; blue justice; co‐creation; relational landscapes; urban coastline; urban transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/oceanandsociety/article/view/12600 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v3:y:2026:a:12600

DOI: 10.17645/oas.12600

Access Statistics for this article

Ocean and Society is currently edited by Fábio Vicente

More articles in Ocean and Society from Cogitatio Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by António Vieira () and IT Department ().