A considerable proportion of the coastline of many countries is now developed with buildings and transportation routes or protected against flooding and erosion, and many shorefront communities that are only partially developed or stabilized are well on the way to total transformation. Some coastal areas have been designed and built as human artifacts and bear little resemblance to the coast that formerly existed. Strip development dominates the land conversion process in many coastal communities, placing the location of much of the development where it is readily affected by wave and wind processes. Shore protection structures emplaced to protect these developments are often placed where they have the greatest impact on shoreline processes and the most dynamic landforms. Shorefront property owners alter the coastal landforms to suit their needs, and beach users alter the vegetation and landforms without even knowing it.

There is no indication that the trend toward increasing development will be reversed. Economic evaluations indicate that many locations could justify even greater expenditures for construction of new buildings and protection projects, and these expenditures will be forthcoming despite an increase in the rate of sea level rise and potential for storm damage. Major storms cause considerable property damage but little lasting effect on the landscape compared to human activities. Communities that have been severely damaged by coastal storms are often rebuilt to larger proportions. Increasing population pressure, combined with the value of shorelines for human use, makes the occupation of the coast widespread and inevitable under present management practice.