Waterfront Redevelopment and Urbanization

Running head: WATERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT AND URBANIZATION
Waterfront Redevelopment and Urbanization
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Author Note

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WATERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT AND URBANIZATION
Places where land and water meet have always been the point of trade and commerce.
These locations were given newer meaning with the redevelopment programs as industrialization
and urbanization advanced. The industrial-era harbors and other fronts soon were being
transformed into places with urban growth initiatives which were water-oriented. Water front
redevelopment programs are well established phenomena which include, restructuring of existing
waterfronts into newer places. Some projects focus on tourism uses while others have industrial
purposes. The primary intention of developing a waterfront is to create scope for diverse uses
and interest as many people as possible. Urbanization and human actives have affected ecology
and environment. Measuring the impact of urban development is not always an easy task. These
programs which restructure the place where land and water meet, have contributed hugely to the
imbalance in ecology and grave effects on the environment. It has also brought major changes in
land policies, social and economic development.
The course of development had elements which were symbolic and were significant in
fueling the financial prospects. These edges where land and water joined became spots for
implementing experimental and innovative ideas which were greatly associated with the global,
technological advancements (Avni & Fischer, 2019). Ports and harbors which were abandoned
due to the changing needs of the society were replaced with residential places, offices,
recreational spots, shopping malls and other public-private partnership developments. In the late
20th century, many countries were reported to have expanded and transformed their waterfronts
for residential, regional, national and tourism purposes. These were recognized as under utilized
spaces with great prospects of development (Wiig, 2018). Therefore, governments and
establishments took the initiative of utilizing the resources which were available to channelize
the financial prospects which were associated with the water fronts. People started being

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WATERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT AND URBANIZATION
interested in the residential projects which happened around these projects, leading to
gentrification and class stratification. However, waterfront regeneration programs completely
changed the land structure and impact the physical environment of the area around.
However, it is also necessary to distinguish between waterfronts as abstract spaces on one
hand and geographic territory on the other. Society rapidly undergoing the process of
urbanization and consequential changes. The dynamics of change were fettering the territorial
significances the recognition of the urbanized spaces and society stretches beyond the location
(Airas, Hall & Stern, 2015). It extends to the larger picture of global change which concerns the
world. It is therefore, very important to assess the changes in terms of consequential results with
respect to the social and natural approaches to Water Front Developments. People are always
benefitted with development programs and changes. There are myriad of reasons why
urbanization is important but it can only be considered as being correct and beneficial when it is
sustainable and ensured social, economic and environmental progress (McCarthy, 2016). The
policies which regulate planning and development programs state that, scaling benefit associated
with such programs can only be done in terms of how it affects the public and the ecology. The
idea of benefit is generalized and central to the local people and people associated integrally.
However, that should not be the case, as they are intrinsically related to a spectrum of other
outcomes and factors.
There are several implications which must be evaluated in order to understand the change
and effects which are associated with the change of the urban scenario and redevelopment
programs. We need to focus on influence of these actions and how it shapes the geographic
context of the location with the implementation of the intended plan (Leary & McCarthy, 2013).
Society and nature are interdependent and connected. The inseparable tie which the two share