Floating Urbanism as a Blue Economy Strategy for Coastal Development: Integrating Urban Resilience and Cultural Identity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2026.v10n2-6Keywords:
Floating Urbanism, Urban Resilience, Cultural Identity, Museum Design, BahrainAbstract
Coastal development in Bahrain, which aims to achieve both economic and urban growth, is highly dependent on land reclamation. This approach, however, is associated with ecological degradation and increased climatic risks. Floating urbanism has emerged as a paradigm for resilient and adaptive architecture through its ability to respond to the effects of climate change and to address urban growth. Despite its adoption by a range of countries, floating urbanism has not been fully explored in Bahrain and the Gulf countries, specifically, in terms of its environmental, socio-cultural, and economic feasibility. The paper investigates the potential of floating urbanism as a replacement for land reclamation, by exploring its viability through a design-based approach exemplified by a floating museum district proposal and assessed via a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. Three development scenarios are examined: 1) reclamation, 2) hybrid, and 3) fully floating, across five dimensions: environmental, technical, socio-cultural, economic, and governance. The floating scenario achieved the highest aggregate score (4.096/5), especially in the environmental and socio-cultural dimensions, although there were challenges related to governance and implementation costs. The study contributes to coastal development and planning strategies by proposing a decision-making framework that integrates environmental, cultural, and economic considerations. It further demonstrates how floating urbanism can contribute to socioeconomic development through cultural tourism, coastal regeneration, and the blue economy.
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