Towards a working definition of coastal community

Bibliographic Data

ID22203602
AuthorsAshley Mills (0000-0003-2968-1471, University of Kent, corresponding author), Salmaan Ansari (0000-0003-4927-6051, University of Kent), Maja Nikšić (0000-0002-3101-4953, University of Kent), Lindsay Forbes (0000-0002-4654-9520), Lindsay Jean Lesley Forbes (University of Kent)
Year2026
Volume14
Pages102649
Publication date2026-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Sciences & Humanities Open (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2590-2911 • E-ISSN: 2590-2911
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.102649
OpenAlexW4413952294
LanguageEN
References cited8

The term coastal community is widely used in research, policy, and media discourse, yet remains conceptually ill-defined, inconsistently applied, and multivalent. The notion of coastalness often supports definitive-and sometimes contradictory-claims about community health, and socioeconomic conditions, particularly when contrasted with 'inland' areas. We argue that establishing a clear, consistent, and widely understood definition of coastal and inland communities is a critical precursor to robust, comparable research. Such clarity ensures that comparisons are methodologically sound and that resulting insights can meaningfully inform policy and practice. In this position piece, we discuss this issue in the context of the existing body of research and the problems involved in precisely defining coastal "community". We then propose a working definition of "coastalness" with respect to towns that lends itself toward meaningful comparative analysis. Finally, we discuss the limitations on generalisation of this approach to other settlements and outline future directions for research and policy engagement

Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Geography · Coastal and Marine Management · Environmental Science · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies

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