International S cientific C onference about P oltva river renewing
L viv, Ukraine, November 19th-20th 2010
Valorisation of waterfronts and
waterways for sustainable
development
Marta Moretti - Deputy Director
International C entre C ities on Water, Venice (Italy)
1. Urban Waterfront Regeneration:
Strengths and Weaknesses
2. 10 Principles for a Sustainable Development of Urban Waterfront
Areas
3. Waterways and the Development of the Territory
4. Ideas for the Poltva river regeneration
5. Presentation of the Centre Cities on Water
With the us e of c ontainers in port ac tivities ,
c aus ing the trans fer of ports outs ide the c ities ,
and therefore the availability of c entral areas
along the water, c ities re-dis c overed their
waterfront, thanks als o to a new awarenes s for
the environment and new lifes tyles .
What do we consider as waterfront?
The word ‘waterfront’ identifies the urban area in direct contact with water. In cities on
water, this area usually corresponds to the area occupied by port infrastructures and port
activities. Its revitalisation represents one of the most interesting phenomena of urban
renewal since the 1980s.
This process provides:
- physical re-composition,
- functional regeneration,
- re-use of derelict areas, and
- new attraction for private investments.
According to the successful results, marine cities and river cities can be
considered laboratories for the process of urban renewal in view of
both the broad range of cases and the quality of the results.
Even if different in terms of
geography, dimensions,
population and culture, these
cases can be valuable sources
of ideas for the future and can
provide a list of key factors
common to their success.
Waterfront R egeneration: P oints of S trength
The ‘strategic’ value of
waterfront areas for the
development of the city
as a whole
• they were the answer to the
need for city expansion in
central areas;
• they were convenient in
terms of ‘quality’ and
‘quantity’.
The ‘location’ factor of the waterfront
• located very close to city centres;
• available spaces for new activities.
A rich heritage of infrastructures and historical buildings
• restoration of buildings of great historical-architectural value;
• preservation and maintenance of the site’s original identity.
Direct contact with water
• a sort of ‘water renaissance’ has taken place;
• water is once again seen as a resource;
• water has emerged as a positive and influential element for a new urban
quality and with the capacity to attract a wide range of activities and
people.
The evocative and symbolic value of waterfront areas
port areas, vibrant places, often symbol of wealth and power
for many cities on water around the world.
Waterfront regeneration:
- gives identity and a new role to public s pac e
- re-launc h the pedes trian us e of borders
- redis c overs the value of waterborne trans port
P rivate and public partners hip:
- improve the management of the s pac es ;
- provides a wide mix of us es ;
- gives more attrac tion to private
inves tments .
Waterfront regeneration is today a
global phenomena, common to any
continent, geographical latitude,
and territorial dimension.
Waterfront regeneration:
Weaknes s points
1. ‘Standardisation’ of the interventions.
2. The achievement of high profit levels rather than the
quest for a high quality.
3. An excessively commercial-tourist
atmosphere rather than a residential
function.
4. The scarcity of productive activities.
5. New access restrictions to the area.
10 Principles for a Sustainable Development
of Urban Waterfront Areas
In the context of the initiatives for the Global Conference
on the Urban Future (URBAN 21) held in Berlin in July 2000
and during the EXPO 2000 World Exhibition
10 Principles for a Sustainable Development
of Urban Waterfront Areas
were approved.
These topics were previously developed in international
seminars by Wasserstadt GmbH, Berlin in collaboration
with the Centre Cities on Water, Venice.
1 - Secure the quality of water and the environment;
2 - Waterfronts are part of the existing urban fabric;
3 - The historic identity gives character;
4 - Mixed use is a priority;
5 - Public access is a prerequisite;
6 - Planning in public private partnerships speeds the process;
7 - Public participation is an element of sustainability;
8 - Waterfronts are long term projects;
9 - Re-vitalization is an ongoing process;
10 - Waterfronts profit from international networking.
Waterways and the development
of the territory:
public spaces, new functions, recovery of the historical heritage
and participation
In most cases origin of first urban
settlements, waterways have been
the main source for human life and
the tool for the exchange of goods
and cultures.
Thanks for their crossing the
territory, they have always been
places of intersection of different
aspects of the urban life bringing
together environment, planning,
architecture, transport but also
art, culture, education and
tourism.
As the intersection between different aspects of urban life, rivers represents a
community heritage and their riverfront demonstrates a great potential for
becoming a central axis in a new and articulated public space.
London, South Banks
New accessibility and use of riverfronts
Badeschiff Sprea, Berlin, 2004
Paris Plage, Parigi, 2001
Copenhagen Brygge, 2003
The beach in the city
Wienna and the Donau Ins el F es tival
Creation of news public spaces along the water
New York, High Line
New public promenades
Sport, leisure and recreational activities
Saragozza
Siviglia
Zaragoza, Expo 2008
Cultural temporary
Events
Cultural Events as an
occasion for the re-use of
the industrial archaeology
heritage and for the
revitalisation of derelict
areas.
Development of sustainable economies
The Navigli in Milan
The recovery of the historic and
architectural heritage
The defence and the structural -
functional re-use of historic
buildings allow to reconnect the
sites to the local community and to
transmit their signs to future
generations.
Venice
Important public-private
investments and concerted actions
have to be activated for their
management with the aim of the
valorisation of history and local
identity.
London
Oxo Tower and the S outh B ank
Hamburg,
HafenC ity
.
Rome, www.tevereterno.it
Warsaw
T hanks to the initiatives of artis tic
and c ultural ONG s , the redis c overy
of the Vis tola river took plac e in
Wars aw, demons trating that the
appropriation of a s ite develops als o
through a bottom-up proc es s .
The River//Cities Platform is a partnership between cultural, environmental
and political initiatives which work in their cities to interact with and develop
their rivers or waterfronts as cultural spaces.
The River//Cities Platform is
now become a Foundation since October 25th
2010.
www.river-cities.net
Ideas for the Poltva river regeneration
in progress
A great example Seoul, Corea
The case of the Cheong Gye Cheon canal. After a long debate, the
Metropolitan Government of the city of S eoul, dec ided to re-open the
C heong G ye C heon c anal, c ros s ing the c ity c entre E as t-Wes t, c los ed
in the ‘60s and c overed with a highway.
Seoul, Corea
Seoul, Corea
Presentation
International Centre
Cities on Water
Cities on Water is a not-for-profit association, established in Venice,
Italy, in March 1989, with the aim of:
developing research and promotes activities
on the multiple aspects of the relationship
between cities and water.
acting as an interface with the cities on water all over
the world involved in restoring a positive relationship between water and
the city, so as to improve the
quality of the urban environment.
To give significance to the water element in all
its different forms within the urban context, the Centre focuses
on the following areas of research:
Waterfront
Aquapolis es
C ity-P ort R elations hip
Urban Waterborne Trans portation
His toric al-Indus trial Heritage
Activities
Cities on Water promotes:
a. international meetings and thematic
seminars;
b. partnership with other cities;
c. co-operation with other organisations;
d. European projects;
e. Networking;
f. organisation of thematic exhibitions;
g. Publications (books, magazines,
newsletter, web sites).
Invisible rivers and
canals
Many cities have covered their inner canals or waterways over time, since
they were not using them any more for different reasons. P olluted, un-
us eful or dangerous for flooding, waterways memory s till live
but at an invis ible level.
In rec ent years , due to a different perc eption toward waters
and to the s o-c alled “ water renais s anc e” , this habit is
bec oming les s us ual and the rec overy of their original s tatus
repres ents an added value to the quality of urban life.
Venice
Venice
Osaka, Japan
QuickTime™ e un
QuickTime™ e un
decompressore TIFF (Non compresso)
decompressore TIFF (Non compresso)
sono necessari per visualizzare quest'immagine.
sono necessari per visualizzare quest'immagine.
Valencia, Spain
A great example: the case of the Cheong
Gye Cheon canal, in Seoul (Korea).
After a long debate, the Metropolitan
Government of the city of S eoul, dec ided
to re-open the C heong G ye C heon
c anal, c ros s ing the c ity c entre E as t-
Wes t, c los ed in the ‘60s and c overed
with a highway.
A huge investment of
approx 700 Mil €.
Work started in July
2003 and ended in only
27 months, September
2005, with the opening
of 5,8 km of canal at the
crossing with the river
Han, in the city centre.
Bridges, pedestrial paths
and a Museum beside
the reorganisation of the
mobility have been
realised.
Conclusions
Reconnect the waterfront to the territory
• Water represents an extraordinary opportunity for the
cohesion of the territory, often fragmented;
• For the quality of the intervention it is important to ‘mix the
old with the new, and to plan perpendicular axes for access to the water; and
• to create squares on the water for intensive public use.
Rediscover the identity of places
The protection of the natural environment and the valorisation of water as
public space, close to the city centre, creates new urban centrality for both,
economy and tourism.
Local Government Actions and Strategies
• To communicate water as a resource for the
enhancement of the territory;
• To promote quality initiatives based on the
interaction between the cultural and the
environmental heritage;
• To develop an articulated program made of
independent projects, in successive phases;
• To promote sustainable operation through
public funding and private investments;
• To define projects and uses that can generate short-
term economic resources.
Thank you for
your attention!
citiesonwater@iuav.it
www.citiesonwater.com
c ities onwater@ iuav.it
www.c ities onwater.c om
