International
Design Competition
At the core of RE:BEACH is a global design competition that sought the most innovative, multi-benefit, and feasible solutions to restore and preserve sandy beaches in Oceanside. From May - December 2023, RE:BEACH brought together three design teams from around the world to develop sand retention pilot projects.
A Jury and Advisory Panel composed of local, state, and national experts was formed early on and helped in making the ultimate decision on the finalists, based on their experience, proposed approach and track record. In addition to the Jury, the competition was supported by a Project Team and internal City Team whose input, guidance and expertise informed the final designs produced by each team.
In December 2024, the Jury, Project Team and City Team selected the International Coastal Management (ICM) “Living Speed Bumps” design as the winning design for the RE:BEACH Pilot to the Oceanside City Council. City Council also adopted the RE:BEACH pilot in January 2024, designating GHD to partner with ICM to move the project concept into final engineering and permitting.
Design Teams
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About: Deltares has expertise in the policy, science and engineering disciplines that make it possible to live in densely populated and vulnerable areas in deltas, coastal zones and river basins. The combination of specialized consultancy projects and applied research puts Deltares in a unique position to address sustainability issues. To enhance societal impact, Deltares focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals by thinking globally and acting locally.
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About: ICM is a coastal engineering firm well-known for its innovative, out-of-the-box problem solving strategies. Their innovative roots can be traced back even prior to their twenty years spent in the Middle East, where they worked on high-profile, crown-level projects, creating one-of-a-kind underwater structures and designing unique islands. These projects ingrained a design philosophy that centers on the belief that anything is possible.
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About: SCAPE is a landscape architecture and urban design practice based in New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco. They design and advocate for the ecologically restorative and socially engaged landscapes, urban environments, and natural infrastructure of the future. SCAPE does this through diverse forms of design—built landscapes, planning, visioning, and research—with the ultimate goal of connecting people to their environments.
The Jury
Chris Abad—Surf Resource Preservation—Director, Oceanside Boardriders Club.
Bob Ashton—Community Representative & Coastal Advocate—President/CEO, Save Oceanside Sand (SOS).
Scott Ashton—Community Representative—Chief Executive Officer, Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Curt Busk—Community Representative & Coastal Advocate—President, Buena Vista Audubon Society.*
Megan Cooper—Coastal Grant Funding Expert—Deputy Regional Manager, California State Coastal Conservancy.*
Councilmember Dwight Worden—Coastal City Representative—Del Mar City Council, Chair of SANDAG Shoreline Preservation Working Group.
Dr. Lesley Ewing PE—Coastal Management Expert—Former Sr. Coastal Engineer, California Coastal Commission.
Karen Green—Nearshore Marine Expert—Division Manager, Marine and Aquatic Ecosystem Resources, Tierra Data, Inc.
Dr. Arye Janoff—Coastal Management Expert—Coastal Geomorphologist, Planner & Manager with a U.S. Federal Agency.*
Dr. Charles Lester—Permitting Viability Expert—Director, Ocean and COastal Policy Center, Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara.
Councilmember Joy Lyndes—Coastal City Representative—Encinitas City Council.
Dr. Dan Pondella—Nearshore Marine Expert —Professor, Biology; Director, Vantuna Research Group, Occidental College.
Ernie Prieto III—Community Representative—Local Business Owner (Ocean Sea Charter), Boat Captain and sitting member of City of Oceanside’s Harbor and Beaches Committee.
Mitch Silverstein—Coastal Advocate—Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter.*
Jeremy Smith—Coastal Management Expert—Coastal Engineer, California Coastal Commission.*
* Indicates jurors whose role is advisory and non-voting, their ideas, input and role is purely their own expertise and does not represent the opinion of the various organizations they represent professionally.
WINNING DESIGN: ICM
The “Living Speed Bumps” design brings the two artificial headlands and one offshore artificial reef to stabilize sand on the back beach and slow down nearshore erosive forces. The design is supported with nearshore and onshore beach nourishment.
International Coastal Monitoring (ICM), based in Australia’s Gold Coast, has decades of experience implementing “speed bumps” on their own coastline, so while this is a new concept for Oceanside’s coast, it has a proven rack record of success on the East Coast of Australia.
Mini-Documentary
BBC StoryWorks partnered with C40 to create a global storytelling series showcasing how city residents, communities, and leaders are building more liveable, resilient, and sustainable urban futures. In 2025, they highlighted Oceanside coming together to protect the coastline they love, innovating and adapting to coastal erosion and building a more resilient coastal community.