Recent storm surge events along with the discussions on climate change and sea level rise make coastal protection a pertinent issue in Denmark. The purpose of this report is to analyse past and present coastal protection strategies in Denmark and use this as a baseline for a critical reflection on current practice and possible ways forward. The report is divided into three main parts. First, the study provides a state of the art on coastal protection technologies in Denmark and internationally. Second, we propose a framework for working with coastal protection. Third, four selected case studies are analysed in detail (i.e. Køge Bugt Strandpark, Nordkystens Fremtid, Vejle, and Gyldensteen Strand) using a multi-criteria assessment framework. The key findings include the prevalence of hard structural protection technologies such as sluice gates and dikes (24 of 32 reviewed projects in Denmark); the need to analyse and frame coastal regions with a view to the level of economic, social and technical complexity and capacity; and the need to go beyond coastal protection as a technical discipline and strive for holistic solutions with an emphasis on innovation and the collaborative and explorative process of planning, designing and implementing coastal protection measures in a sustainable manner. This report aims to spark a discussion on coastal development and highlights some of the key challenges and tasks that need to be addressed in the years to come to achieve the best possible outcome.