Abstract Coastal cities in developing countries face increasing pressures from rapid urbanization, deteriorating infrastructure and weak enforcement of environmental regulations, leading to escalating ecological risks. In this context, Acapulco Bay—once one of Mexico's most emblematic tourist destinations—now exhibits chronic pollution, recurrent harmful algal blooms and significant ecosystem degradation. This Practice Insight examines how Environmental Risk Assessments (ERAs) can be operationalized to strengthen urban ecological governance, drawing on practitioner experience and environmental assessments conducted in the region. The study integrates Mexico's environmental regulatory frameworks with field‐based evidence of pollution sources and risk factors in Acapulco. Results indicate that, although ERAs are formally recognized in national legislation, they remain underutilized in municipal coastal management. By combining geospatial analysis, legal instruments, wastewater and solid waste diagnostics and community‐based observations, an intervention pathway is proposed to identify priority contamination sites, infrastructure failures and governance gaps. The Acapulco case demonstrates that ERA‐based approaches enable a shift from reactive actions towards systemic, science‐based strategies, while also evaluating municipal practices related to wastewater management, solid waste handling, stormwater drainage and coastal monitoring, highlighting their integration potential within ERA frameworks. Findings are applicable to other urban coastal systems in developing countries facing similar socio‐environmental pressures. Integrating ERAs into decision‐making, strengthening enforcement and enhancing public participation are critical to achieving more resilient coastal governance. Practical implication . This study recommends the institutional integration of ERAs into municipal planning and coastal management as a standard decision‐making tool. Specifically, local governments should (i) prioritize intervention areas using ERA frameworks, (ii) strengthen enforcement of existing regulations, (iii) upgrade wastewater and solid waste infrastructure based on risk diagnostics and (iv) incorporate community participation and monitoring schemes. These actions support a transition towards preventive, evidence‐based coastal governance.
Márquez et al. (Wed,) studied this question.