This title offers a comprehensive overview of coastal planning and management issues for students and professionals in the field. Since publication of the first edition in 1994, population growth and increasing development pressures on our coasts have made the need for forward-looking, creative and sustainable visions for the future even greater. This revised edition includes: significantly updated data and statistics including discussions of population and growth trends, federal and state coastal expenditures, disaster assistance expenditures and damage levels from hurricane and coastal storms; updated legislative and programmatic material, including the Stafford Act and mitigation assistance programmes, and changes in the Coastal Zone Management Act; expanded coverage of physical and biological attributes and conditions of the coastal zone; expanded and updated discussions of innovative local coastal management; and new chapters on creative coastal design and development and lessons from coastal programmes in other countries. "An Introduction to Coastal Zone Management" addresses the serious coastal trends and pressures in the US, assesses the current policy and planning framework, and puts forth a vision for future management and sustainable coastal planning. It is an important resource for undergraduate and graduate students of coastal planning as well as for local and state officials, residents of coastal communities, environmental advocates, developers and others concerned with coastal issues.