A Couple Waterfront Milestones for 2011

May 1:
3oth Anniversary of founding of The Waterfront Center in Washington, D.C. as a non-profit educational entity recognized by the IRS as a tax-deductible organization.

July 1:
Deadline for postmarks on entries into the Waterfront Center's annual "Excellence on the Waterfront" awards program for built projects in nine categories, comprehensive plans, grassroots citizen efforts and student work.


In other news...

Full Speed Ahead for Urban Waterfronts 2011 - "Thirty Years and Counting"

• Program lineup of topics announced on the website: www.waterfrontcenter.org. Persons interested in taking part in the program should e-mail: mail@waterfrontcenter.org and outline what they would contribute to the panel of their choice, their background, etc.

• The Finale Speaker has been selected! Details to be announced.

• The Gala Dinner will be held Friday evening, October 28, at Battery Gardens Restaurant in a private room, with seating limited to 250. All New York area award-winning efforts over the years will be saluted in a special ceremony. Winners of the 2011 "Excellence on the Waterfronts" will receive special recognition and a champagne toast. The committee and special speaker for this honorary dinner has been determined.
  

Jury Completes Deliberations

A five-person jury wound up assessments in late July of entries in the Waterfront Center's 23rd annual "Excellence on the Waterfront" awards program. Meeting in Cape May, N.J., the jury picked nine projects, one plan document and three grassroots citizen efforts. The winners will be announced on Nov. 5, 2010, at the Center's annual conference, to be held this year at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Nov. 4 to 6. The Honor Award winners included entries from Australia, Canada, China and England. The jury was led by Fran Hegeler of AECOM in San Francisco. She was joined by Jane Jacobsen of the Confluence Project, Vancouver, Wash.; Jonathan Goldstick of HALCROW, New York; Peter Brink of Norwich, VT., formerly with the National Trust for Historic Preservation; and Dave Mathewson of the Port of Los Angeles. A press release with the winning entries is available, with a moratorium for release of Nov. 5.

Working Waterfront Revisited

At least three states are addressing the issue of how to protect working waterfront enterprises -- such as boatyards, fishing operations and marinas -- from higher valued land uses such as condominiums. Maine, Florida and New Jersey are in the forefront in tackling the issue.

New Jersey, for instance, is considering legislation that would establish the "right to fish." Patterned on the state's "right to farm" law, it would give fishing ports, commercial docks and fish processing plants a presumptive right to go about their business, noisy and/or smelly as it might be. The law, passed by the Assembly and pending in the State Senate as of June 2010, establishes that the daily operations of marine businesses are not a public nuisance.

Case in point: condominium development in Ottens Harbor, Wildwood, pushed out a fishing industry. The state now has six active fishing ports.

As with farms when residential development encroaches, county agricultural development boards would mediate disputes about the working waterfront.

The conflict is not new, although some are just discovering it. The Center's co-directors Ann Breen and Dick Rigby produced a monography in 1985 entitled: Caution: Working Waterfront, The Impact of Change on Marine Enterprises, with assistance from the Design Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts. Part One discussed four case studies where marine enterprises were threatened. Part Two looked at the other side of the issue, namely promoting public access to working waterfronts.

The displacement cases were:

• The Miami River, where tramp freighter operations and boat yards were endangered by spreading commercial and residential development.
• The central waterfront in Portland, Maine, where condominiums threatened to drive off the fishing fleet based here.
• Marineship in Sausalito, Calif., a funky houseboat community that a nearby office development protested.
• Henry Pier on Lake Union in Seattle, where a boat repair operation was in fact driven away by commercial pressures. Interesting here is that a state regulatory agency had to choose between the working waterfront and public access. It picked access.

In the report we cautioned waterfront businesses to clean up a bit as the public was increasingly interested in waterfronts. And that market forces were fully capable of consuming most boatyards, tug firm bases, fishing operations, gear shops and the like.

"In Waterfront Values, A Rising Tide" reported The New York Times on June 6, as if to confirm the threat. Talking about Ocean and Monmouth Counties in New Jersey, the paper reported that for all properties touching water, the average sale price in early 2010 was 35 percent above the previous year. Overall, general real estate in the counties was up just 6.7 percent.

"The numbers are powerful - overwhelming," a real estate analyst was quoted.

Urban Waterfronts 2010 Keynote Speaker

BALTIMORE, MD. - Keynote speaker at the Waterfront Center's annual conference here will be Bruce Katz, vice president of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and founding director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

He will present on Friday morning, November 5, and will address the theme of Urban Waterfronts 2010: "The City Resurgent." In a profile appearing in a recent issue of The Next American City, Katz is described this way: "He's made a name for himself by condensing Big Ideas about the potential of cities into easily digested sound bites that policymakers once paid lip service to but now are actually speaking." He was also called "America's oracle for cities."

Buttressing the idea that cities are experiencing a comeback are recent U.S. Census estimates. Among cities shown to have grown between 2000 - 2008 are Atlanta, 416,474 to 537,958; Boston, 589,141 to 609,023; Columbus, Ohio, 711,470 to 754,885; Los Angeles, 3,694,820 to 3,833,995; New York, 8,008,275 to 8,363,710, and Washington, D.C., 579,112 to 591,833.

The policy program Mr. Katz runs at Brookings seeks to redefine the challenges facing cities and metropolitan areas by publishing cutting-edge research on major demographic, market, development and government trends. He focuses particularly on reforms that promote the revitalization of central cities and older suburbs and enhance the ability of these places to attract, retrain and grow the middle class.

The Waterfront Center's 28th annual international conference will feature 33 presenters in four simultaneous tracks grouped under economic development, design and policy issues. Included are panels on Innovative Planning, International Updates, Waterfront Zoning and Community Boating. The conference is preceded by an all-day workshop on the Baltimore waterfront aboard the Lady Sarah (extra feed required).


For more information, see the Center's Web site: www.waterfrontcenter.org/conference. For a copy of the conference program, e-mail mail@waterfrontcenter.org.

Urban Waterfronts 28 Taking Shape

The Waterfront Center's annual conference will be held Nov. 4 to 6, 2010, at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront Hotel, located directly on Baltimore's storied harbor, amid the burgeoning Inner Harbor East Neighborhood created in the last ten years or so. It inspired this year's conference theme: The City Resurgent. Inner Harbor East is a humming mixed-use neighborhood with living spaces, officers, hotels, markets and shops, restaurants and cultural features. The harbor is never far from view. The program topics are being considered now, with a deadline of Jan. 15 for submitting suggestions. After the 12 session topics have been decided, candidate presenters will be sought. Preceding the conference that runs all day Friday Nov. 5 and half Saturday, Nov. 6, is an all-day workshop featuring the Baltimore waterfront in its entirety.

A local committee has already met once to plan the itinerary and is having another session this month. Serving on the local committee are David Benn, principal, Cho Benn Holback; David Carroll, director of sustainability, Baltimore County; Laurie Schwartz, principal, LS Consulting; Keith Weaver, head, EDSA Baltimore office; and Steve Ziger, principal, Ziger/Snead Architects.

To get a taste of what the Baltimore workshop might be like, visit the Center's website: www.waterfrontcenter.org and click on the conference button. Included here are photos from a comprehensive boat tour of Seattle's waterfront from last year's meeting. The first hotel registrations were made in January!

Awards Deadline June 30
Entries to the Center's annual Excellence on the Waterfront awards program must be postmarked by June 30,2010. The jury, headed by Fran Hegeler, development director, will convene in July in Cape May, N.J., for the better part of two days to select Honor Awards for built projects, comprehensive plans, and grassroots citizen efforts. Student work may be considered in a separate process but if not, will be screened by the regular jury. A new category in projects added last year is Public Works. Work is welcomed from the whole range of waterfront undertakings, with parks and the public realm usually the largest entry category. Preservation and the working waterfront, commercial and mixed-used projects, housing (provided there is public access) and artistic and cultural work are among the other categories. Entry forms for this year will soon be available on the Center's website.

Excellence on the Waterfront Awards: New York City Big Waterfront Winner & The Confluence Project receives Top Honor

New York City received four Honor Awards in The Waterfront Center's 23 annual Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program. The four - two built projects, a plan and a zoning ordinance amendment - were selected by an interdisciplinary jury - from 75 entries. Eleven awards were made in all for projects and plans. Buffalo in upstate New York also received an award.

New York City's Winners were:

Photo credit: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

• The Port Authority Ferry Terminal at the World Financial Center, New York. Contract: Donald Fram AIA, chief architect, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 2 Gateway Center, Newark, NJ 07012 Phone: 973/565-7690. E-mail: dfram@panynj.gov

Photo Credit: Barbara Wilks

Photo Credit: Alison Cartwright

• West Harlem Piers Park, W. 129th to W. 133rd Sts. and 12th Ave., New York. Contract: Barbara Wilks, W Architecture and Landscape Architecture, 127 W. 25th St./12th floor, New York 10001. Phone: 212/981-3933. E-mail: bwilks@w-architecture.com

• Waterfront Zoning T ext Amendment, Department of City Planning, New York. Contact Amanda M. Burden, commissioner, Department of City Planning, 22 Reade St./2W, New York 10007. Phone: 212-720-3320. E-mail: cgrossm@planning.nyc.gov

• Brooklyn Bridge Park 2005 Master Plan: A Framework for Design, Brooklyn, NY Contact: Michael Van Valkenburgh, principal, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associations Inc., Landscape Architects PC, 16 Court St./12th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11241. Phone: 718/243-2044. E-mail: michael@mvvainc.com

Fish Cleaning Station, photo credit: The Confluence Project

Top Honor for 2009 was for the Confluence Project at seven historic sites along the Columbia River in Washington State and Oregon. Three of the projects are built and a fourth is to have its ground-breaking shortly. The artist Maya Lin, working with other artists and designers, is striving for public art projects that connect the natural world and the built environment, at sites rich with Native American history, as well as stopping points on the remarkable Lewis and Clark exploration over 200 years ago. Contacts: Jane Jacobsen, executive director, Confluence Project, 1701 Broadway/No. 144, Vancouver, WA 98663. Phone: 360/693-0123. E-mail: jane@confluenceproject.org. Johnpaul Jones, principal, Jones and Jones, Architects and Landscape Architects, 105 S. Main St./No. 300, Seattle, WA 98104-3437. Phone: 206/624-5720. E-mail: jpjones@jonesandjones.com

Aerial view of the Land Bridge, photo credit: The Confluence Project.

Bird Blind, photo credit: The Confluence Project.

Serving the Waterfront Center's 23rd Excellence on the Waterfront jury were

• Mike Burke, jury chair, attorney, King Hershey PC and counsel, Port Authority of Kansas city, Kansas City, MO.
• Fran Hegler, senior direction/development manager, AECOM, San Francisco, CA.
• Jeff Shelden, senior coastal engineer, Moffatt and Nichol, Raleigh, NC.
  

Short News Stories No. 5

Excellent Sample Map
A walking map doesn't have to be big or complex to be effective. Take the 8.5-by-11 Walking the Waterfront map of Halifax & Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, with clear, hand-drawn maps of both city waterfronts. Sites are clearly numbered, one to 44, and range from a casino to open space to eating places and docks. A number of vessels make their home here, including deep sea fishing charter boats, a replica of a famous fishing schooner and a research ship of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which is based in Halifax. The map, prepared by the Waterfront Development Corporation Ltd., is simplicity itself, in two colors, folded into three easy-to-read panels whose title is "Your official cruising guide to the shops and sights, restaurants and museums on the wonderful waterfront." Contact the organization for a sample.

Waterfront Corruption
The FBI seems to have to known what it was doing in targeting city officials in Northern New Jersey with waterfront development projects. Most of the 44 arrests earlier this year were of officials taking bribes from agents posing as developers seeking project approvals. The complaints filed paint a picture of building and zoning departments where influence, connections and payoffs are used to enable developments to proceed smoothly. Otherwise the process is described as dysfunctional. Developers are said to budget for bribes. For a little light reading, try The Soprano State: New Jersey's Culture of Corruption by Bob Ingle and Sandy McClure (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008).
The Press of Atlantic City, Aug. 8, 2009.

New Treatment Plant Technology
In the city of Blaine, Washington, they are putting a new wastewater treatment plant in a waterfront park. Using new odor control technology plus smaller and quieter equipment enables the facilities to be front and center. In fact, when Blaine's plant opens in June 2010, it will house processing underground and have two structures on top: one for administration, the other for public park uses. The reclaimed wastewater will be used to water city land and a golf course. Funding in the form of grants and loans came from local, state and Federal sources. Brown and Caldwell of Seattle did the design of the 23,000 square-foot plant.
Engineering News Record, Oct. 5, 2009.

Bikers vs. Peds: Serious Business
The Battle of Brooklyn Bridge is on. The narrow walkway (remember the bridge dates to 1883) now tries to accommodate growing numbers of walkers and bikers plus more than a few tourists stopping to take pictures. One solution suggested is to make the bikers use the adjoining Manhattan Bridge, which has a secure bike lane. Problem: it doesn't tie well to downtown. Writing in the Sunday Opinion page of The New York Times, author Robert Sullivan, a Brooklyn biker, proposes taking bikes off the walkway in favor of a protected bike lane in the roadway. Separation is the solution being used on a downtown riverwalk under construction now in Des Moines, Iowa. the Center co-directors were given a tour recently by a representative of Principal Financial Services, the major funder, where there will be a pedestrian walk above on lovely blocks and a pathway below along the river itself intended by bikes, bladers and the like. A new pedestrian/bike bridge under construction will tie the paths together and whose graceful arch will be a new icon for the city.
The New York Times, Sept. 27, 2009.

Directors in Quad City Celebration

The Quad Cities are Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois. Waterfront Center co-directors Ann Breen and Dick Rigby were special guests at the 25th anniversary celebration on Sept. 24th for River Action, Inc., a citizen's organization that has accomplished amazing feats ~ including a bridge lighting, flood wall blockage, retain the rain program and a Ride The River event on Father's Day. Ann gave the final toast to River Action's founder, Kathy Wine, and Dick introduced featured speaker Mayor Joseph Riley of Charleston, S.C. The organization has available a booklet about steps people can take to retain rain. While geared to saving the Mississippi River, it has universal applicability. Contact: email@riveraction.org. Kathy Ewing is a menber of the Center's Advisory Board.

Center News and Important Deadlines

Seattle Marriott Hotel on the Waterfront

Photo Courtesy of Marriott Hotel

This is from our Summer 2009 newsletter which can be found on our Web site: www.waterfrontcenter.org

• Conference Deadline: September 22. Register by this date to get a $100 savings on the conference fee! September 22 is also the deadline for a very special hotel rate at the Seattle Waterfront Marriott; register directly with the hotel at 1 800/455-8254 or 206/443-5000; be sure to mention the Urban Waterfronts 27 conference.

• Conference Sponsorship Opportunities. Deadline to be included as a supporter/advertiser in the conference Final Program is September 11.

• Book Offer Extended Indefinitely. A half-price book offer on all Waterfront Center publications for members only has been extended. Anyone joining the Center for annual dues of $100 is entitled to the special offer; check the Membership button on the Center's website: www.waterfrontcenter.org. And members will also soon to be listed as special "Friends of the Center" on the Center's website.

Our Mission Statement

This explains who we are, what we do and the principles we advocate. Note that these are not prescriptive and do not attempt to tell communities how to proceed. Waterfronts are too varied for such.

The Waterfront Center: “Champions of Waterfront Excellence.”

WATERFRONT CENTER VISION STATEMENT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The full text of the Center’s Mission Statement is featured on the Center’s Web site under its own button on the home page, www.waterfrontcenter.org/Mission. It was prepared by a subcommittee of the Center’s Board of Advisors’ Executive Committee. This summary was prepared by the Center co-directors.

Our Vision. Enhancing, protecting and preserving our waterfronts, and recognizing those who work to make this possible, is the primary purpose of the Waterfront Center, a non-profit educational corporation founded in 1981.

Our Values. These are the principles we embrace. They are not a series of steps to be taken but rather attributes to be adapted to the uniqueness of each waterfront place. Every community must be true to itself, and it is in this spirit that these values are put forward to be employed as appropriate.

· Authenticity. Waterfront planning should embrace the unique, authentic features of each waterfront: its history, culture, uses including industrial and the working waterfront, visual characteristics and environmental qualities. Formulas are to be avoided. Each waterfront plan should reflect the essence of its special place. Education, we feel, is key to helping the public protect their waterfront resources. Waterfronts represent unparalleled opportunities for education and interpretation, including distinctive public art.

· Accessibility. We believe in the inherent public interest in waterfronts and have advocated for public accessibility to and along waterfronts since our inception. We also stress the importance of visual access. Public access from land to water and from water to land should be the guiding objective.

· Inclusiveness. Meaningful community participation on a continuous basis should be a hallmark of waterfront planning and development, from inception forward. The planning process should reflect the dynamism of the marketplace, economic feasibility, indigenous design approaches, historic preservation and sustainable development practices.

· Sustainability. We must honor and protect our natural waterfronts, and as well recognize that they are part of an interconnected watershed. We are the custodians of these vital resources.

· Adaptability. Waterfront redevelopment has the potential to contribute to the long-term viability of neighborhoods and larger urban areas. Its planning should be responsive, responsible and adaptive to changing circumstances. Long—range planning, looking forward 25 years or more, is desired; shortsighted action that can cause long-range damage is to be avoided.

Our Programs.

• Education. The Center has sponsored an annual international conference on urban waterfront planning, development and culture since 1983, the leading such event in the world. It is preceded by an intensive, all-day mobile workshop in the host city.

The Center makes illustrated presentations drawing from its unequalled collection of 25,000+ waterfront images, gathered since 1975.

• Facilitation. The Center employs a unique community participatory planning process that dates to 1985. Spot consulting by the Center co-directors is also offered.

• Publications. The Center co-directors have written the two definitive hardcover illustrated books on urban waterfronts, one published by McGraw-Hill, the second by Thames & Hudson of London. The Center distributes an electronic newsletter including the popular feature “Waterfronts Today.”

• Celebration. The Center conducts an international annual awards program entitled “Excellence on the Waterfront,” begun in 1987. A distinguished interdisciplinary jury selects Honor Award winners from submitted entries, presented at the annual conference. An illustrated summary publication of the winners is produced each year.

Contact us at: mail at waterfrontcenter dot org or wcm at snip dot net