a month ago
- Many famous U.S. locations, such as the Lincoln Memorial and parts of San Francisco and Chicago, were built on reclaimed land, with around 8% of major coastal cities' land reclaimed since the 1890s.
- Land reclamation in the U.S. largely stopped after 1976, despite rising land values and increased flooding, due to stringent environmental laws like NEPA and the Clean Water Act that made projects costly and slow.
- Common explanations for the decline—such as running out of suitable spots or improved transportation reducing the need—are inadequate, as other countries continue large-scale reclamation and downtown land values now justify the costs.
- Environmental regulations, particularly NEPA's lengthy impact assessments and mitigation requirements, have halted reclamation projects nationwide, as seen in cases like the Craney Island extension in Virginia, which faced decades of delays.