Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground, reclaimed land, or land fill.
History In ancient Egypt, the rulers of the Twelfth Dynasty (c. 2000–1800 BC) undertook a far-sighted land reclamation scheme to increase agricultural output. They constructed levees and canals to connect the Faiyum with the Bahr Yussef waterway, diverting water that would have flowed into Lake Moeris and causing gradual evaporation around the lake's edges, creating new farmland from the reclaimed land. A similar land reclamation system using dams and drainage canals was used in the Greek Copaic Basin during the Middle Helladic Period (c. 1900–1600 BC). Another early large-scale project was the Beemster Polder in the Netherlands, adding of land in 1612. In Hong Kong, the Praya Reclamation Scheme added of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction. It was one of the most ambitious projects undertaken during the era of colonial Hong Kong.Bard, Solomon. (2002). Voices from the Past: Hong Kong 1842–1918. HK University press. Some 20% of land in the Tokyo Bay area has been reclaimed, most notably Odaiba artificial island. The city of Rio de Janeiro was largely built on reclaimed land, as was Wellington. During the 18th and 19th centuries The Seven Islands of Bombay (now Mumbai) were joined with the help of several land reclamation projects like Hornby Vellard and Colaba Causeway.
Methods Land reclamation can be achieved by a number of different methods. The simplest method involves filling the area with large amounts of heavy rock or cement, then filling with clay and dirt until the desired height is reached. The process is called "infilling" and the material used to fill the space is generally called "infill". Draining of submerged wetlands is often used to reclaim land for agricultural use. Deep cement mixing is used typically in situations in which the material displaced by either dredging or draining may be contaminated and hence needs to be contained. Land dredging is also another method of land reclamation. It is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of a body of water. It is commonly used for maintaining reclaimed land masses as sedimentation, a natural process, fills channels and harbors.
Notable instances
Africa
Much of the Bay of Algiers connecting islands such as the Peñón of Algiers
The Hassan II Mosque is built on reclaimed land.
The Eko Atlantic in Lagos. Gracefield Island in Lekki, Lagos.
The Foreshore in Cape Town.
Stone Town in Zanzibar.
Asia Parts of the coastlines of mainland China, Hong Kong, North Korea and South Korea. It is estimated that nearly 65% of tidal flats around the Yellow Sea have been reclaimed.Murray N. J., Clemens R. S., Phinn S. R., Possingham H. P. & Fuller R. A. (2014) Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12, 267–72
The north of Bahrain.
Inland lowlands in the Yangtze valley, including the areas of important cities like Wuhan.Brian Lander. State Management of River Dikes in Early China: New Sources on the Environmental History of the Central Yangzi Region . T'oung Pao 100.4-5 (2014): 325–362; Mira Mihelich, “Polders and Politics of Land Reclamation in Southeast China during the Northern Sung” (Ph.D. dissertation, Cornell Univ., 1979); Peter Perdue, Exhausting the Earth: State and Peasant in Hunan 1500–1850 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Council on East Asian Studies, 1987); Mei Li 梅莉, Zhang Guoxiong 張國雄, and Yan Changgui 晏昌貴, Lianghu pingyuan kaifa tanyuan 兩湖平原開發探源 (Nanchang: Jiangxi jiaoyu chubanshe, 1995); Shiba Yoshinobu, “Environment versus Water Control: The Case of the Southern Hangzhou Bay Area from the Mid-Tang Through the Qing,” in Sediments of Time: Environment and Society in Chinese History, ed. Mark Elvin and Ts'ui-jung Liu (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), 135–64 Nanhui New City in Shanghai Haikou Bay, Hainan Province, where the west side of Haidian Island is being extended, and off the coast of Haikou, where new land for a marina is being created. The Cotai area of Macau, where many casinos are located. Parts of Shekou in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
Much of the coastline of Mumbai, India. It took over 150 years to join the original Seven Islands of Bombay. These seven islands were lush, green, thickly wooded, and dotted with 22 hills, with the Arabian Sea washing through them at high tide. The original Isle of Bombay was only long and wide from Dongri to Malabar Hill (at its broadest point) and the other six were Colaba, Old Woman's Island, Mahim, Parel, Worli and Mazgaon. (See also Hornby Vellard).
The shore of Jakarta Bay. Land is usually reclaimed to create new housing areas and real estate properties, for the rapidly expanding city of Jakarta. So far, the largest reclamation project in the city is the creation of Golf Island, north of Pantai Indah Kapuk. Giant Sea Wall Jakarta
Nagoya Centrair Airport. Kansai International Airport, Osaka. Much of Tokyo Bay, including Port of Tokyo, Haneda Airport, and Tokyo Disneyland.
Beirut Central District.
Hulhumalé Island, one of the six divisions of Malé City. Addu Atoll, the southernmost atoll of the Maldives.
Forest City, an integrated residential and tourism district in Johor, Malaysia, was controversial due to its reclamation of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in a designated Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Rank 1 area.
Much of the coastline of Karachi.
The North Reclamation Area in Cebu City. The whole business district of Cebu South Road Properties in Cebu City. The shore of Manila Bay, especially along Metro Manila, has attracted major developments such as the Mall of Asia Complex, Entertainment City and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex.
A part of the Hamad International Airport, around . The entire Pearl Island situated in West Bay (Doha).
The city-state of Singapore, where land is in short supply, is also famous for its efforts on land reclamation. The size of Singapore has increased by 25% from 581.5 square kilometres in 1960 to 725.7 in 2019. This is part of the nation's plans to create more homes and common spaces in the land-scarce city-state. Upcoming projects include the Long Island project, involving the reclamation of three tracts of land (expected to span around 800 ha), which is set at a higher level to protect against rising sea levels. It will also enclose a body of water, acting as a reservoir, strengthening the nation's water resilience. Detailed technical studies are currently under way, lasting five years. This project would take a few decades to plan and implement.
Incheon International Airport
Colombo International Financial City
Some of the coastline of Saadiyat Island which is used for commercial purposes. The Palm Islands, The World and hotel Burj al-Arab off Dubai. The Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Europe
The southwestern residential area in Brest.
The port of Zeebrugge.
Certain areas of Denmark.
Paljassaare, Tallinn is a peninsula consisting of two former islands connected to the mainland during the 20th century Port of Tallinn is largely built on land reclaimed over centuries.
Helsinki (of which the major part of the city center is built on reclaimed land).
Airport of Nice.
A big part of Kavala. Lake Copais.
Parts of Dublin, including the North Wall, East Wall, Grand Canal Dock and Bull Island.
The airport peninsula, the industrial area of Cornigliano, the PSA container terminal and other parts of the port in Genoa. Venice. Rione Orsini, part of Borgo Santa Lucia, Naples. Fucine Lake.
Almost half of the microstate of Monaco Most of Fontvieille, Monaco Parts surrounding Port Hercules in La Condamine, Monaco
Large parts of the Netherlands.
Parts of Bryggen, Bergen including the Dreggekaien cruise terminal and other ship services.
Parts of Saint Petersburg, such as the Marine Facade.
Barceloneta area, Barcelona.
Airports of Trabzon, Giresun and Rize. Coastal parks and streets of Istanbul Yenikapı.
Pier Head, Liverpool. Samphire Hoe in Kent was created using 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk marl from the nearby Channel Tunnel excavations from 1988 to 1994. Almost all of the banks of the lower River Thames, including parts of London. The Fens in East Anglia.
Most of Belfast Harbour and areas of Belfast.
The entire waterfront area of Dundee.
Waterfront Centre, St. Helier
Majority of left-bank and some right-bank residential areas of Kyiv were built on a reclaimed fens and floodplains of the Dnieper river.
North America
The Potter's Cay in Nassau was connected to the island of New Providence. The shore of Nassau, especially along East Bay street.
Much of Bermuda's St David's Island is reclaimed; the island, the site of Bermuda's international airport, was formerly several smaller islands.
Notre Dame Island in Montreal. In the Saint Lawrence River, 15 million tons of rock were excavated from the Montreal Metro underground rail in 1965 to form an artificial island. Leslie Street Spit, the downtown waterfront south of Front Street, and sections of the Toronto Islands along with the Billy Bishop City Airport in Toronto. Part of Nuns' Island in Montreal. Infilling False Creek, Burrard Inlet and various creekways of Vancouver. Tsawwassen ferry terminal causeway in Delta. Wreck Beach, Metro Vancouver Electoral Area A
Mexico City (which is situated at the former site of Lake Texcoco); the chinampas are a famous example.
The Chicago shoreline. The Northwestern University Lakefill, part of the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Several neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts including Back Bay are the result of landfill. Several islands in Biscayne Bay in the Miami metropolitan area, including the Venetian Islands, are the result of landfill. Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn. Much of the Hudson Waterfront in Hudson County, New Jersey including MOTBY, Port Jersey, Ellis Island, Liberty State Park, much Downtown Jersey City, and Hoboken. Parts of Newark Bay and the New Jersey Meadowlands including Port Newark, Newark Airport, and the Meadowlands Sports Complex Parts of New Orleans (which is partially built on land that was once swamp). Much of the urbanized area adjacent to San Francisco Bay, including most of San Francisco's waterfront and Financial District, San Francisco International Airport, the Port of Oakland, and large portions of the city of Alameda has been reclaimed from the bay. The entirety of Treasure Island was also reclaimed to cover over the shallow waters north of Yerba Buena Island that presented a navigational hazard. Large hills in Seattle were removed and used to create Harbor Island and reclaim land along Elliott Bay. In particular, the neighborhoods of SoDo and Interbay are largely built on filled wetlands.
Oceania
Most of Barangaroo, a commercial and residential suburb in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales. Areas of Darling Harbour, a locality west of the Sydney central business district. A large portion of the southern suburb of Sylvania Waters in Sydney. Runway 16L/34R and the southern half of runway 16R/34L at Sydney Airport. Large portions of Brisbane Airport, including the newest runway, 01L/19R. Large portions of Port Botany in metropolitan Sydney. The majority of the Port of Brisbane, formerly the Fisherman Islands archipelago. Large areas of the Melbourne Docklands. Portions of the Swan River foreshore adjoining the Perth central business district in Western Australia, including the entirety of Mounts Bay (pictured above).
My Suva park, a recreation park for the Greater Suva area.