The increasing recognition of waterfronts as a recreational and redevelopment asset belies its continued value for trade and industry. Will Doig makes the case for the oft-antagonized shipping industry in the tug-of-war over waterfront real estate.
Often described as a public asset, the waterfront has a way of captivating the public imagination, inviting frequent controversies over who gets to develop on it, and what.
Consider, for example, the case of two deep-water berths in Providence, Rhode Island that were sold to a metal recycling company late last year. The "battle [had] been raging in Providence for several years," Doig reports – "on one side, a developer who wanted to turn the shoreline into apartments, offices and hotels. On the other, the maritime industries that have been working there since the turn of last century." Shortly after industry won out, the complaints started rolling in: "Who put this big, ugly heap of metal on our lovely industrial port?"
Doig points out that the reality of waterfront industry stands sharply at odds with the imagined nostalgia of old-time working docks often invoked by many developers and "seen as a way to lure high-earning residents."
But while the shipping industry is soaring – "the container trade has doubled since 2000, and 2012 is expected to be another record-breaking year" – the benefit of booming real estate developments tends to be much shorter-lived. Take New Jersey's "Gold Coast," where in the 1980s, new residents lawyered the scrapyard and repair docks out of town, only for the real estate market to slump not too long thereafter.
Doig highlights a number of advantages that a working waterfront offers: high-paying, blue-collar jobs; environmentally cleaner shipping than trucks or trains; and a more diverse urban economy.
FULL STORY: On the waterfront, the battle rages on

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont