IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i1p366-d474138.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Transitions in Urban Waterfronts: Imagining, Contesting, and Sustaining the Aquatic/Terrestrial Interface

Author

Listed:
  • Anne Taufen

    (School of Urban Studies, University of Washington—Tacoma, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA)

  • Ken Yocom

    (Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Built Environments, University of Washington—Seattle, Seattle, WA 98195, USA)

Abstract

Urban waterfronts represent hybrid locations of ecological, economic, and social zones of transition and dispersal, spatially reified between land and water. Yet, through advancements in technology and the emergence of globally linked economies, the structure and function of urban waterfronts as economic and industrial drivers is becoming increasingly complex. As cities seek to redevelop their waterfronts in response to these changes, recent research and scholarship has focused on understanding the ecological, social, and economic benefits derived from urban waterfronts. This research reveals that their benefits are unevenly distributed among local and regional populations as sites of accumulated inequity and inaccessibility that are generative for only a relatively small percentage of the people living in a metropolitan area. Set within this paradoxical nexus, this paper frames a call to scientists, planners, academics, and waterfront activists to expand urban waterfront research from an indicator and benefits model to incorporate three conceptual tools for better understanding key dimensions of waterfront reclamation within the context of green infrastructure research: urban hybridity, functional performance and hierarchies of access. We explore these key dimensions in relation to the waterfront redevelopment of Tacoma, Washington, USA. By acknowledging the hybridity of urban waterfronts, we illustrate that their relative performance and accessibility require ongoing empirical study and practical intervention. Our theoretical explorations plot some of the potential areas of investigation for examining the structural and functional transitions of urban waterfronts as critical locations for green infrastructure development for the 21st century.

Suggested Citation

  • Anne Taufen & Ken Yocom, 2021. "Transitions in Urban Waterfronts: Imagining, Contesting, and Sustaining the Aquatic/Terrestrial Interface," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:366-:d:474138
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/1/366/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/1/366/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Colin McFarlane, 2011. "Assemblage and critical urbanism," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 204-224, April.
    2. Peter Nijkamp & Karima Kourtit, 2013. "The “New Urban Europe”: Global Challenges and Local Responses in the Urban Century," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 291-315, March.
    3. Olaf Merk, 2013. "The Competitiveness of Global Port-Cities: Synthesis Report," OECD Regional Development Working Papers 2013/13, OECD Publishing.
    4. Bo Yang & Shujuan Li & Chris Binder, 2016. "A research frontier in landscape architecture: landscape performance and assessment of social benefits," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 314-329, April.
    5. Megan Horst & Nathan McClintock & Lesli Hoey, 2017. "The Intersection of Planning, Urban Agriculture, and Food Justice: A Review of the Literature," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 83(3), pages 277-295, July.
    6. Beate Littig & Erich Griessler, 2005. "Social sustainability: a catchword between political pragmatism and social theory," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(1/2), pages 65-79.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhaoyu Zhou & Fan Yang & Jiayu Li & Jiale Li & Zhuojun Zou, 2024. "Identification of Critical Areas of Openness–Vitality Intensity Imbalance in Waterfront Spaces and Prioritization of Interventions: A Case Study of Xiangjiang River in Changsha, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-23, May.
    2. Xiaojia Liu & Xi Chen & Yan Huang & Weihong Wang & Mingkan Zhang & Yang Jin, 2023. "Landscape Aesthetic Value of Waterfront Green Space Based on Space–Psychology–Behavior Dimension: A Case Study along Qiantang River (Hangzhou Section)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Stephen J. Ramos, 2021. "Materiality in the Seam Space: Sketches for a Transitional Port City Dome District," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(3), pages 210-222.
    4. Carlos J. L. Balsas, 2024. "Coastal Waterfront Transformations, Fishing Structures, and Sustainable Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-13, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sarvenaz Pakravan & Shahin Keynoush & Ehsan Daneshyar, 2022. "Proposing a Pedagogical Framework for Integrating Urban Agriculture as a Tool to Achieve Social Sustainability within the Interior Design Studio," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-32, June.
    2. Olga Stepanova & Magdalena Romanov, 2021. "Urban Planning as a Strategy to Implement Social Sustainability Policy Goals? The Case of Temporary Housing for Immigrants in Gothenburg, Sweden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Sara A. L. Smaal & Joost Dessein & Barend J. Wind & Elke Rogge, 2021. "Social justice-oriented narratives in European urban food strategies: Bringing forward redistribution, recognition and representation," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 709-727, September.
    4. Sorin-George Toma & Paul Marinescu & Catalin Gradinaru, 2016. "The Age Of Sustainable Business Models," Management Strategies Journal, Constantin Brancoveanu University, vol. 34(4), pages 128-132.
    5. Anna Gaviglio & Mattia Bertocchi & Maria Elena Marescotti & Eugenio Demartini & Alberto Pirani, 2016. "The social pillar of sustainability: a quantitative approach at the farm level," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-19, December.
    6. Daniela Smiraglia & Luca Salvati & Gianluca Egidi & Rosanna Salvia & Antonio Giménez-Morera & Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, 2021. "Toward a New Urban Cycle? A Closer Look to Sprawl, Demographic Transitions and the Environment in Europe," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, January.
    7. Jubril Olakitan Atanda & Ayşe Öztürk, 2020. "Social criteria of sustainable development in relation to green building assessment tools," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 61-87, January.
    8. Hillary Angelo & David Wachsmuth, 2015. "Urbanizing Urban Political Ecology: A Critique of Methodological Cityism," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 16-27, January.
    9. Fan Wu & Ling-Hin Li & Sue Yurim Han, 2018. "Social Sustainability and Redevelopment of Urban Villages in China: A Case Study of Guangzhou," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-18, June.
    10. Guanyu Chen & Jacky Bowring & Shannon Davis, 2023. "Exploring the Terminology, Definitions, and Forms of Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) in Landscape Architecture," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-41, April.
    11. Zhao, Qianyu & Xu, Hang & Wall, Ronald S & Stavropoulos, Spyridon, 2017. "Building a bridge between port and city: Improving the urban competitiveness of port cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 120-133.
    12. Yuan Ma & Heng Liang & Han Li & Yaping Liao, 2020. "Towards the Healthy Community: Residents’ Perceptions of Integrating Urban Agriculture into the Old Community Micro-Transformation in Guangzhou, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-21, October.
    13. Muralidharan Loganathan, 2022. "Assessing Social Sustainability in the Gig Economy," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 65(3), pages 831-843, September.
    14. Sebastian Ureta, 2014. "The Shelter that Wasn’t There: On the Politics of Co-ordinating Multiple Urban Assemblages in Santiago, Chile," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(2), pages 231-246, February.
    15. Van Assche, Kristof & Duineveld, Martijn & Beunen, Raoul & Valentinov, Vladislav & Gruezmacher, Monica, 2022. "Material dependencies: hidden underpinnings of sustainability transitions," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 24(3), pages 281-296.
    16. Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2013. "Creative Buzz Districts In Smart Cities: Urban Retro-Fitting And Urban Forward-Fitting Plans," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 7(2), pages 37-57, DECEMBER.
    17. Kelsey Ryan-Simkins, 2021. "The intersection of food justice and religious values in secular spaces: insights from a nonprofit urban farm in Columbus, Ohio," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 767-781, September.
    18. Alexandra Titz & Sosten S. Chiotha, 2019. "Pathways for Sustainable and Inclusive Cities in Southern and Eastern Africa through Urban Green Infrastructure?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-27, May.
    19. Robin Hogrefe & Sabine Bohnet-Joschko, 2023. "The Social Dimension of Corporate Sustainability: Review of an Evolving Research Field," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    20. Jan Eelco Jansma & Sigrid CO Wertheim-Heck, 2024. "A city of gardeners: What happens when policy, planning, and populace co-create the food production of a novel peri-urban area?," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 51(3), pages 705-720, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:366-:d:474138. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.