Sasaki Assoc.’s design for Narragansett Landing in Providence, R.I., incorporates new models for waterfront development and is guided by a master plan.
Just a few decades ago, the image of the urban waterfront in the United States was one of declining industries, abandoned buildings and environmental wastelands. Many industries that once dominated the waterfront by the end of the 1970s had either disappeared altogether or moved to higher ground, reflecting economic globalization and alternative modes of transportation. Thus, the urban waterfront was no longer the best, most cost-effective alternative for manufacturing and transporting of goods. The result was the eventual deindustrialization of the urban waterfront.
Today, one only need look at Charleston, S.C., Boston, Cleveland, Baltimore, San Francisco and many other cities to see that the urban waterfront has experienced an amazing renaissance, re-emerging as a crown jewel in the revitalization of these prosperous cities. Moreover, this revitalization has a very different complexion than in years past, including major hotels, a variety of commercial uses, residential dwellings, unified green spaces and publicly accessible parks and boardwalks. In many cities, the urban waterfront now offers some of the most desirable addresses. For urban planners, the silver lining to the deindustrialization of the urban waterfront is the opportunity to think creatively about the future of waterfronts and surrounding areas. Born from such planning efforts has been a greater mixed use of development that today has brought tremendous economic and community value to these areas and to their cities in general. Chief among the design principles that has fostered the renaissance of the urban waterfront is the push for greater public accessibility to the waterfront. The increased public accessibility through the addition of parks and boardwalks is often mixed with commercial, residential and industrial uses, and has transformed these waterfronts to a showcase status. In a word, the urban waterfront is more welcoming than ever before, bringing the public and business back to a water’s edge that is clean, safe, accessible and filled with a variety of uses.
Design Lexicon
As many cities redevelop their waterfronts, what has emerged for urban planners is a lexicon of design principles that should be incorporated into their master planning efforts when considering the redevelopment of a city’s waterfront. At Sasaki Assoc., we have employed several of these principles in our master plan for the proposed redevelopment of Narragansett Landing, an enormous 650-acre waterfront parcel that will serve as the new gateway for the city of Providence, R.I. We believe that adherence to these principles will ensure the highest and best use of this critical parcel and ensure that Narragansett Landing become a thriving gateway for commerce, tourism, public access and the other multiple uses intended for the site. A summary of these eight design principles follows:
1. Transform the image of the waterfront as a gateway to the city. Urban waterfronts are often in a highly visible area, close to downtown or regional highways, sending an important message about the character and the economy of a city. The goal, therefore, should be to develop a waterfront plan that is functional, accessible, and inviting to commercial development and the public alike.
2. Create a waterfront boulevard as a spine for new development. A gracious waterfront boulevard and other new streets will connect new development to the downtown and to the neighborhoods. The waterfront streets should be active and accessible to all, with benches under a continuous tree-lined canopy, building entrances, and people walking and bicycling to their destinations.
3. Strengthen the regional open space system by linking nearby parks and linear corridors. New parks and pathways along the waterfront can be extended to connect to other regional parks along the water or in neighborhoods. In addition to bicycle paths and footpaths, water taxis can become an important link in the regional open space system.
4. Create parks that act as windows to the water. With a series of parks along the waterfront, each open space can develop a distinct theme and character that relates to the inland neighborhoods or surrounding uses. These parks may highlight historic and environmental features, and some will accommodate large festivals and cultural gatherings.
5. Provide continuous public access that varies along the length of the waterfront. The journey along the water’s edge should vary to include formal esplanades, boardwalks, public piers, winding paths through natural settings, and allow for access to active marinas and other commercial uses as well. Quiet, public streets along the water’s edge will ensure an open and accessible waterfront. Access to the waterfront is seen as a public asset:
6. Design open space to create value to adjacent land. Buildings should frame each public park and draw value from that open space, taking full advantage of any water views as well. New development should compliment the parks created and provide active ground floor uses and destinations around the park area. Clearly, the aesthetic value of waterfront property, is a valuable selling point for new and revitalized buildings and commercial spaces.
7. Plan for a fine-grained mix of uses to create a vital district. The mix of uses should be complimentary to each other and not impede public access along the waterfront edge. With this in mind, a wide variety of uses are possible on the urban waterfront, including residential, office, hotel, entertainment, and retail, as well as marketplaces, museums, music venues and other civic uses that bring both economic and cultural enhancements to the area and to the city as a whole.
8. Design buildings that respond to the waterfront condition. The first floor of the buildings should meet the street, especially on the main street corridors. As the land drops off to the waterfront and along the piers, ground floor parking will raise the first floor of the building above the flood plan, but should be carefully designed to maintain the integrity of the street in these cases. The scale of the buildings should step down as they approach the waterfront to enhance the pedestrian character and to allow views from buildings further inland.
Other important planning elements such as zoning, accessibility, security, flood control, land assembly, environmental cleanup and education, and other policy concerns should, as always, be fully incorporated into the master planning process. Finally, it remains true that detailed, holistic planning is essential for the development of a workable waterfront. However, incorporation of the design principles mentioned would go a long way towards conferring long-term value to a precious waterfront resource that is currently languishing.
