Urban Sandy Beaches: Integrated Coastal Management under Natural and Anthropogenic Pressures

Urban sandy beaches are among the most valuable coastal ecosystems, providing essential ecosystem services, supporting biodiversity, protecting shorelines from erosion, and sustaining tourism and local economies. However, these environments are increasingly threatened by the combined effects of climate change, sea-level rise, extreme storm events, coastal squeeze, beach fragmentation, pollution, habitat degradation, and expanding urbanization. Human interventions such as coastal armoring, recreational pressure, sediment extraction, and infrastructure development frequently alter sediment dynamics, ecological processes, and natural shoreline resilience. Managing urban sandy beaches, therefore, requires integrated approaches that consider physical, ecological, social, and economic dimensions across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Advances in remote sensing, numerical modeling, citizen science, and nature-based solutions offer new opportunities to improve coastal monitoring, vulnerability assessment, and adaptive management. This Research Topic aims to promote interdisciplinary studies that enhance understanding of urban sandy beach dynamics and support evidence-based strategies for sustainable coastal planning and integrated management under increasing natural and anthropogenic pressures.

The goal of this Research Topic is to advance scientific understanding and promote innovative approaches for the sustainable management of urban sandy beaches facing increasing natural and anthropogenic pressures. We aim to bring together interdisciplinary contributions that examine the interactions among coastal geomorphology, ecosystem functioning, climate change, urban development, and human activities that influence beach resilience and long-term stability.

This Research Topic seeks to showcase studies that improve coastal monitoring and predictive capabilities through the use of remote sensing, numerical modeling, field observations, citizen science, and emerging technologies. Particular emphasis will be placed on research addressing shoreline evolution, sediment dynamics, coastal squeeze, ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, hazard assessment, and adaptation to sea-level rise and extreme events.

We also encourage contributions that evaluate governance frameworks, stakeholder engagement, nature-based solutions, and integrated coastal zone management strategies aimed at balancing environmental conservation with recreational, economic, and societal demands. By fostering collaboration among scientists, practitioners, managers, and policymakers, this Research Topic intends to provide actionable knowledge and evidence-based tools that support resilient, adaptive, and sustainable management of urban sandy beaches worldwide.

This Research Topic welcomes interdisciplinary contributions that enhance understanding of the dynamics, vulnerability, and sustainable management of urban sandy beaches under increasing natural and anthropogenic pressures. We invite studies addressing themes such as shoreline evolution, sediment transport, coastal squeeze, beach fragmentation, beach morphodynamics, ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, impacts of climate change and sea-level rise, extreme events, coastal hazards, and human disturbances associated with urbanization, tourism, and coastal infrastructure.

Contributions exploring innovative monitoring approaches, including remote sensing, numerical modeling, citizen science, and emerging technologies, are particularly encouraged. We also seek studies evaluating governance frameworks, stakeholder engagement, nature-based solutions, and integrated coastal zone management strategies that promote beach resilience and adaptive planning.

The Research Topic welcomes Original Research articles, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Methods papers, Data Reports, Perspectives, Policy and Practice Reviews, and case studies from diverse geographic settings that provide transferable knowledge to support evidence-based coastal management and decision-making.