Reclaimed ecotones in the climate change era: A long-durée framing of urban expansion in Mumbai, Amsterdam, New York, and Tokyo.

This article examines the role of transition ecologies, or ecotones—coastal fringe zones where ecosystems merge—in shaping urban expansion through land reclamation projects in four metropolitan regions: Mumbai, Amsterdam, New York, and Tokyo. It traces three historical periods to analyze how shifting environmental values and urban planning paradigms influenced the transformation of these ecological fringes, often treated as marginal or "wastelands," into sites of metropolitan growth. The study highlights how reclamation practices, driven by technological, political, and economic forces, repeatedly redefined urban–nature relationships, frequently overlooking ecological functions until environmental awareness rose in the late 20th century. Recent climate-related disasters have exposed the vulnerabilities of these altered fringe ecologies, prompting calls for integrated planning approaches that recognize their ecological significance and complexity. The article advocates for a rethinking of urban fringe ecologies as dynamic socio-ecological spaces essential for climate-resilient urban development.