Turning the Tide: "Opening Out Towards the Water"– The Big Picture

Moderated by: Dr. William Solecki Panelists: Rutherford Platt • Robert Yaro • Linda Cox Wilbur L. Woods • Cortney Worral

TURNING THE TIDE: New York’s Waterfront in Transition

TURNING THE TIDE: New York’s Waterfront in Transition Four Public Colloquia on the Transformation of New York City’s Waterfront and Harbor . Organized by The Institute for Sustainable Cities, City University of New York in collaboration with The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College and The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance

TURNING THE TIDE:
NEW YORK’S WATERFRONT IN TRANSITION
Session Dates and Topics
Feb. 24: “Opening Out Toward the Water”– The Big Picture
Mar. 17: Waterfront Parks: Old, New, Green, Blue
April 7: Seizing Opportunities: Waterfront Works in Progress
April 28: Reviving the Estuary: Science and Education
Wed. Feb. 24: “Opening Out Toward the Water”– The Big Picture
Wed. Mar. 17: Waterfront Parks: Old, New, Green, Blue
Wed. April 7: Seizing Opportunities: Waterfront Works in Progress
Wed. April 28: Reviving the Estuary: Science and Education

Session One “ Opening up to the Water:” The Big Picture February 24, 2010 Introduction by Rutherford H. Platt Series Organizer Senior Fellow, CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities and Professor of Geography Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst www.humanemetropolis.org

This series is inspired by: The Humane Metropolis: People and Nature in the 21st Century City University of Massachusetts Press and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2006

Green
Healthy and Safe
Sustainable
Equitable
People-Friendly!
What is a “Humane Metropolis”? An urban community at any scale (metro, city, suburb, neighborhood, block) that strives to be more––

Environment Magazine July/Aug. 2009 Posted at: www.humanemetropolis.org New York’s Waterfront is a Grand Experiment in creating a more humane megacity . . .

How did we get from this . . .

. . .to THIS? !

New York: “Matriarch of Megacities”
Among World’s Ten Largest Cities (1900)
and
Ten Largest Urban Regions (2006)
The only “western” megacity among top ten today
Long history of adapting to growth, decline, and diversity
Innovative applications of technology, law, finance, and planning
Model for large cities world-wide

Some New York “Megacity Milestones”
1807 Commissioners Plan for Future Streets
1840s - Croton River Water Project
1860s - Central Park, Prospect Park
1880s - Brooklyn Bridge
1899 - Five Borough Consolidation
1916 - Nation’s First Zoning Ordinance
1928 - First RPA Regional Plan for Greater NY
1997 - NYC Watershed Management Agreement
2000s - PlaNYC

1858 Olmsted and Vaux Plan for Central Park , Central Park Today

Truly a “ Central Park”!

What About a “ Perimeter Park” . . . A maritime counterpart to Central Park?

In 1944, Paul and Percival Goodman proposed that New York “Open out toward the water” . . . lining the waterfront with parks . . . and giving up Central Park for business and industry!

Central Park is not about to be abandoned . . . But New York is indeed “opening out toward the water . . .” not as a single vast project like Central Park, but as a mosaic of individual projects, with very different purposes, stakeholders, and legal frameworks “ Manhattan Waterfront Greenway ”

Playgrounds
Adult exercise and fitness
People watching
Dogwalking and run areas
Music and art festivals
Views of Harbor and skyline
Fishing
Water transportation
Adaptive reuse of maritime structures
Ecological habitat restoration
Environmental education
History and sense of place
New waterfront facilities provide many benefits, both traditional and new . . .

Bike lanes
Water Trails
Green Rooftop - Riverbank State Park
Piers -- Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers
Greenstreets
Eco-Docks -- Dyckman Marina, 69th St. Bay Ridge
 Abandoned rail facilities -- High Line Greenway
Barges -- Floating Pool Lady, The Science Barge
Flower Gardens - Battery Park City
Native plant beds - Stuyvesant Cove Park, Riverside Park South
Underwater habitat -- Hudson River Estuarine Sanctuary
And they incorporate new physical components . . .

Some Glimpses of Coming Attractions . . .

The City and its many partners like RPA, MWA, and the Bronx River Alliance envision a 21st Century waterfront that promotes recreation, health, jobs, mobility, and biodiversity across the five boroughs Session 1 Today: “Opening Out to the Water” The Big Picture

Riverbank State Park -- ten acres of indoor and outdoor recreation -- on top of North River Sewage Treatment Plant! Session 2 March 17: Waterfront Parks, Old, New, Green, Blue

Hudson River Park Established as a city-state partnership by the Hudson River Trust Act in 1989

The High Line Greenway

Battery Park City

Riverside Park South

Chelsea Piers

South Street Seaport Iconic Rouse Festival Marketplace (What next . . .?)

Governors Island, New York Session 3 - Seizing Opportunities: Waterfront Works in Progress

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Cement Plant Park, Bronx River Greenway South Bronx Greenway

Gateway National Recreation Area New York City

Solar 2 Environmental Education Center (future) Courtesy: Colin Cathcart Session 4 - Reviving the Estuary: Science and Education

The Urban Assembly Harbor School New Home at Governors Island

“ Turning the Tide” Closing Speaker: William Kornblum

Thank You! www.humanemetropolis.org

Looking Ahead: Readying New York Harbor for the 50 years Bob Yaro President Regional Plan Association February 24, 2010

“ Others will see the shipping of Manhattan north and west, and the heights of Brooklyn to the south and east. Others will see the island large and small; Fifty years hence, others will see them as they cross, the sun half an hour high, A hundred years hence, or ever so many hundred years hence, others will see them, Will enjoy the sunset, the pouring-in of the flood-tide, the falling-back to the sea of the ebb-tide.” -Walt Whitman, “Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry,” 1856

Commerce & Industry Along the Edge Source: New York Changing: Revisiting Berenice Abbott’s New York

1 st Regional Plan Relocating the seaport from Manhattan’s West Side to Newark Bay

2 nd Regional Plan Gateway National Park River City and The New Jersey Waterfront Revitalization

3 rd Regional Plan

Access to the Waterfront Today Hudson River Park Queens West Manhattan’s West Side Battery Park City

Residential and Commercial Development
New York - New Jersey Harbor
8 million sq ft Commercial Space
- 4,000 New Housing Units
- $1.4 billion Invested
- Over 100 Park Initiatives costing $1-2 billion

Redefining the Harbor

Unfinished Agenda $1–4 Million/Acre to Build $135,000/Acre/Year to Manage Arlington Marsh

Restoring and Rebuilding the Seaport Post-Panamax Cargo Bridge Panama Canal Expansion Bayonne

Harnessing the Opportunities & Overcoming the Challenges of Post-Panamax Shipping Port of Baltimore Port of Norfolk

Bronx River Story

Stormwater Capture Erosion Control

VISION 2020 New Comprehensive Waterfront Plan February 24, 2010 Turning the Tide Panel

Defining NYC’s Coastal Boundary The area “landward from pierhead or property line, whichever is furthest seaward, to include coastal resources and the first mapped street.” (CEQR Technical Manual, 3K-l) New York City Coastal Zone

1992 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan (CWP)
Issued 1992 by Department of City Planning
First comprehensive inventory of city’s entire waterfront
Framework to guide land use along the waterfront
Directed transition from industrial to post-industrial waterfront landscape, envisioning:
Redevelopment of vacant and underutilized lands
Parks and public access throughout the city
Clean waters for swimming, fishing, and boating
Protected natural habitats
Thriving maritime and other industries
Ferries, bikeways, and pedestrian pathways
New housing and jobs in attractive, safe settings

Identified and planned for 4 Major Functional Categories:
The Redeveloping Waterfront
The Natural Waterfront
The Working Waterfront
The Public Waterfront
Identified prime natural and industrial areas for special consideration
Detailed studies of 22 Waterfront Reaches ( Borough Plans)
1992 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan (cont.)

Achievements Since 1992 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
City-wide strategies adopted and implemented to:
Protect tidal and freshwater wetlands
Protect significant coastal fish and wildlife habitats
Combat coastal erosion
Improve water quality through significant and continued investment in city’s treatment upgrades and remediation programs
Plan for the Natural Waterfront

Designated 3 Special Natural Waterfront Areas:
Harbor Herons Complex
Long Island Sound / Upper East River
Jamaica Bay

Increased publicly accessible waterfront by approximately 29 miles of shoreline, plus an additional 13 miles in progress.
Planned and developed linear public access corridors, including over 75 miles of waterfront greenways.
Required public access and view corridors in over 40 new private developments.
Provided point access: street ends and local parks in all five boroughs.
IKEA along Brooklyn’s Erie Basin The Plan for the Public Waterfront Achievements Since 1992 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan IKEA Esplanade on Erie Basin, Brooklyn

The Plan for the Working Waterfront
Designated Significant Maritime / Industrial Areas (SMIAs):
Kill Van Kull
Brooklyn – Sunset Park
Brooklyn - Red Hook
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Newtown Creek
South Bronx
Major Projects:
- Howland Hook Container Terminal and Arlington Yards
- Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
- Brooklyn Navy Yard Film Studio
- Visy Paper, Arthur Kill
- Red Hook Bargeport
- Oak Point Rail Link and Harlem River Yards
Achievements Since 1992 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan 1 2 3 4 5 6

The Plan for the Redeveloping Waterfront
• Encouraged redevelopment of waterfront to foster economic growth, housing development, public access, and a better quality of life.
• Amended city zoning regulations to better regulate waterfront development.
Identified specific rezoning opportunities in each borough
Specific projects have been implemented, and activity has been steady and growing.
Achievements Since 1992 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan Hunters Point South Development, Queens

Waterfront Zoning Regulations
Adopted 1993
Advanced many CWP recommendations
Applies primarily to residential, commercial, and mixed-used developments on waterfront – industrial and water-dependent uses exempted from many regulations
Applies when redevelopment occurs
Updated in 2009 to improve public access design standards
| WRP | Illustrations Costco, East River, Queens

ACCESS TO WATER COMPLEMENT SITE CONDITIONS DESIGN QUALITY DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCES VISUAL AND PHYSICAL CONNECTIVITY “ READ AS PUBLIC” PRIVATELY OWNED WATERFRONT PUBLIC ACCESS design standards text amendment 2009: goals for public access components

2002: New Waterfront Revitalization Program (WRP) WRP is the city’s principal coastal management tool.
New WRP approved by NYS and Department of Commerce in 2002
WRP intended to:
Maximize benefits derived from economic development, environmental preservation, and public use of the waterfront
Promote activities appropriate to specific locations
Coordinate decisions and streamline regulatory proces s

What is the new Comprehensive Waterfront Plan?
• City Council legislation (Intro 809-a) adopted in late 2008 requires the
Department of City Planning to update the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
(CWP) by December 31, 2010, and every 10 years thereafter.
• The primary requirements of the legislation are that the Plan should:
Set out a Vision for the city’s waterfront for the next 10 years (2010 – 2020).
Provide an Assessment of Waterfront Resources to include the current opportunities and challenges.
Develop planning policy alternatives for discussion with the public, and in consultation with appropriate governmental agencies and elected officials.
Provide a statement of the planning policy of the Department of City Planning and proposals for implementing the planning policy by amendment of the zoning resolution, development of plans or otherwise.

Major Themes of the CWP Update/Vision 2020 The major themes of the CWP Update/Vision 2020 are based on our experience and consideration of the waterfront planning issues identified recently by DCP’s Borough Offices. These themes mix the elements from the four functional categories of the 1992 Plan – the public, developing, working and natural waterfronts – plus the issues inherent in the water itself, or the “blue network”. The seven themes are: 1. Expanding public access on private and public property Brooklyn Bridge Park Williamsburg Edge

2. Enlivening the waterfront with attractive uses, high-quality public spaces, and publicly oriented water-dependent uses, integrated with adjacent upland communities. Greenpoint-Williamsburg Waterfront: Design Schematic Lower Concourse Waterfront Plan

3 . Supporting economic development on the working waterfront New York Container Terminal - Staten Island

4. Restoring degraded natural waterfronts and protecting wetlands and shorefront habitats Jamaica Bay Wetlands Management Area Arlington Marsh North Shore Staten Island

5. Enhancing the public experience of the “blue network” by expanding waterborne transportation, in-water recreation, as well as water-oriented educational and cultural activities New York Water Taxi Bronx River Marine Instruction

Maintaining and improving the environmental quality of our water bodies.
Bronx River Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant

7. Pursuing strategies to improve the sustainability of the city’s waterfront, including increased resilience to climate change and projected sea-level rise. Hamilton Beach, Queens – October 18, 2009

Waterfront Reaches
City’s waterfront divided into 22 local planning segments, or reaches
Organizing framework for detailed site-specific recommendations
| Zoning | WRP | Illustrations

Expanding Waterborne Transportation Source: NYC Economic Development Corporation

Revitalizing Waterfront Areas Sunset Park Vision Plan Goals: • Maximize the efficient movement of goods • Protect and grow industrial employment • Promote green practices • Balance neighborhood needs Source: NYC Economic Development Corporation

Questions and Discussion February 24, 2010 Turning the Tide Panel

Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance www.waterfrontalliance.org

MWA’s Mission
MWA is determined to transform the New York and New Jersey Harbor and Waterways to make them clean and accessible, a vibrant place to play, learn and work, with great parks, great jobs, and great transportation for all.

A waterfront cut off from people

San Francisco Rotterdam London Sydney

Who are we?
An alliance of nearly 400 organizations in the metropolitan region
Committed to revitalizing the NY-NJ waterfront
A BROAD coalition —from the paddlers of the Sebago Canoe Club on Jamaica Bay to the international shippers of the New York Shipping Association

MWA as waterfront convener

Waterfront Policy: The Waterfront Action Agenda Policy Platform for NY- NJ Waterfront

Transforming the Waterfront A short history 2000 to 2050 2000 2050 Task Forces Convene 2007 Today

MWA’s Programs
Waterfront Permitting
Community Eco-Docks
Waterfront Edge Design
Harbor Camp
Task Forces/Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
©2008 Guardia Architects

Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
Updated by end of 2010
Critically Important Year for Waterfront
Public meetings
MWA Waterfront Conference

Working Waterfront

Working Waterfront
230,000 Waterfront Jobs
Port Commerce = $20 billion
Cruise Industry = $1 billion
Rising costs and real estate pressure

$23 to $29 $29 to $42 $50 to $100

Green Harbor and Restoration

New York/ New Jersey Harbor

Long Island Sound Study

Great Lakes

Restoration Funding Great Lakes Long Island Sound NY/NJ Harbor $4.24 million/ year $168 million/ year $580,000/year $3200/mi 2 $1800/mi 2 $36/mi 2 $0.20/person $4.90/person $0.03/person

How do we measure progress?

Join the Blue Movement!
MWA has helped to develop and promote waterfront programs that will develop and maintain a healthy and lasting harbor. Stay informed as members of the MWA Alliance.

Stay Tuned for 2010!
MWA Task Force meetings
Comprehensive Waterfront Plan meetings
City of Water Day – July 24 th
MWA’s Waterfront Conference - December

http://www.cunysustainablecities.org	70
http://cunysustainablecities.org	9
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	1

Turning the Tide: "Opening Out Towards the Water"– The Big Picture

by CUNY Sustainable Cities on Mar 25, 2010

Accessibility

Upload Details

Usage Rights

3 Embeds 80

Statistics

Turning the Tide: "Opening Out Towards the Water"– The Big Picture — Webinar Transcript