When Hurricane Fiona reached Mahone Bay on the southern coast of Nova Scotia in 2022 — packing powerful waves and 100-mph winds — the community’s historic, flood-prone waterfront churches were spared. Far from a miracle, residents credited a newly built 60-meter “living shoreline” made up of tidal wetlands, vegetated banks and other natural barriers for absorbing and diffusing potentially destructive storm surges. Officials there are now planning to extend the living shoreline.

Whereas coastal cities have traditionally turned to hardened “gray” infrastructure like concrete seawalls to fend off such storms, planners on the Atlantic Canada coast see Mahone Bay as a proving ground for whether greener, more nature-based solutions can be more effective at protecting coastal heritage. Read more from contributor Leilani Marie Labong today on CityLab: To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in ‘Living Shorelines’

— Arvelisse Bonilla Ramos

More on CityLab

For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets
People living in homelessness who rely on bikes are part of the ranks of “invisible cyclists” in US cities. A program in San Diego helps bring these riders out into the open. 

The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider
Despite similar infrastructure and vehicle fleets, the US and Canada are going in very different directions when it comes to traffic safety. A new study breaks down the divergence. 

A $340 Million New York Office Makeover Is Converting Boardrooms to Bedrooms
The city’s embrace of adaptive reuse projects is providing much-needed housing stock.

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