The Shoreline between Nature and Society, a Changing Heritage - Vulnerability of Coastal Ecosystems and Adaptation - page 212

How could the conditions of economic development - and in
particular tourism - be maintained over time (as the law is supposed to
refer to sustainable development)? Some of the indications given
provide a better understanding of what can be done. First of all, the
claim that there is a certain “capacity” in urban or urbanizing areas:
this capacity is not precisely determined, but it implies that natural
areas should be preserved and that areas where traditional activities
dominate (agriculture, forestry, etc.) should be protected. It is a way of
freezing these areas in time and of alleviating the pressure. Therefore,
it is claimed that breaks from urbanization are nowadays necessary:
the extension of buildings can only be carried out in such a way that it
fits with what is already there, as a form of “new cottages in harmony
with their environment”. It is also specified that in areas close to the
shore, extensions can only be built if they are used for economic
activities that require a close proximity to the water. Finally, outside
of cities, constructions are illegal on a coastal strip of 100 m. All these
elements do not aim to put a stop to urbanization, but rather to channel
it in each and everyone's interest: it is no longer allowed to build
anything anywhere, which does not mean that any development is
prohibited. In parallel, the significance of these areas and
environments is emphasized; the logic is a consequence of the
principles underlying the Piquard Report in 1972 and the creation of
the Coastal Protection Agency (“ Conservatoire du Littoral ”) in 1975.
Article L 146-6 was controversial and offended many local officials.
Indeed, it relates to terrestrial and marine areas and to sites and
landscapes with remarkable features or characteristic of the natural
and cultural coastal heritage as well as ecosystems necessary to
biological balance. These remarkable and characteristic areas should
be spared from any form of serious occupation, and all the planning
documents should take them into account as soon as these areas are
described and spatially defined. As always with laws, decrees
containing many articles (especially of L 146-6) were delayed and
caused many issues; in this, it appears that the law should not be
imposed as a unit but should rather constitute a framework for
thinking about issues, for debating, and finally, for acting.
To a geographer, beyond the words expressed by the text, it is the
overall philosophy behind the text that is important as it expresses a