Largest Land Reclamation Projects Across The Globe

Land reclamation projects have been taking place across the globe to help create more mainland for a variety of purposes. These projects are especially popular in areas where the mainland area is less than the coastal land and land is reclaimed from the sea to create more usable land. This is especially true of countries like Netherlands where over 17% of the land has been reclaimed from the seas and coastal regions to raise the low-lying areas. Here are some land reclamation projects across the globe that have created a variety of housing and industrial projects but have also faced some controversies:

Top Reclamation Projects Across The Globe

Netherlands: Katwijk’s Coastal Region Has Reclaimed 20ha

Starting with the country where the majority of the land has been reclaimed from coastal areas, the Netherlands is a low-lying region which is prone to flooding and soil erosion. This was especially true of a coastal resort called the Katwijk that had a low flood wall and a massively growing population. The government agencies then decided to use the national relief fund to construct a 1-kilometre long dune in the area that extended the land beyond the sea and helped accommodate a car park. This dune has not affected the area around it and did not need any deep dredging and has successfully contributed to the local vegetation of the region.

Singapore: Marina Bay Project Reclaimed 3.6km2

Singapore started a land reclamation project back in 1969 and completed it in the 2000s to create a successful area called the Marina Bay. This valuable real estate area is just near the water and has helped provide housing and resorts to accommodate the growing population. The Marina Bay has now become one of the most popular hotspots and tourist attractions of this region with its three-tiered Marina Bay Sands resort and the Esplanade Theater.

Dubai: The Palm Jumeirah reclaimed 5.6km2

The Palm Jumeirah is one of the world’s most popular and beautiful regions that is visible even from the sky. This land reclamation site is shaped like a palm tree and has a 11-kilometre long breakwater that extends into the Persian Gulf. This beautiful region is home to lavish and expensive housing and monorails and is one of the biggest tourist attractions of this region.

Besides the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai also has another popular land reclamation project called “The World” which is shaped like the map of the earth and each island is a representative of a particular country.  Most of these islands are now privately owned and cost a fortune.

Hong Kong: Lantau Tomorrow Vision Plans To Reclaim 18km2

Lastly, Lantau Tomorrow Vision land reclamation is one of the most controversial global projects as current residents are not happy with the amount of money being spent on it. According to official sources, the government is planning to spend over $624bn to start this project and create more housing for the rising population. The government claims this project will create over 1.1 million homes in this region but it will take a long while to be completed.

Conclusion

Thus, land reclamation projects have been popular across the globe for a variety of purposes like industrial, housing or agricultural reasons. Most of these projects like the Katwijk coastal resort in the Netherlands and the Palm Jumeirah project in Dubai have been successful and have helped develop the areas. However, projects like the Lantau Tomorrow Vision in Hong Kong have been controversial due to resistance from the local populations and are yet to be completed.