Newsletters

From time to time the Waterfront Center e-mails newsletters.  The most recent will be posted here.  If you wish to receive these newsletters by e-mail please send your e-mail address to mail@waterfrontcenter.org with a request to be added to the newsletter e-mail list.  To be sure that the newsletter is not blocked by spam filters, add the Waterfront Center e-mail address to your e-mail address book.

A Tribute to Ann Breen

In the River Action Inc. Eddy Magazine

September 2018 Newsletter

Announcing 2018 Excellence on the Waterfront Award Winners

A PARK ON THE NEPONSET RIVER IN BOSTON AND A MASTER PLAN FOR WILLAMETTE FALLS IN OREGON CITY, OREGON, WIN TOP HONOR AWARDS

The 2018 “Excellence on the Waterfront” awards program, organized by the non-profit Waterfront Center for the past 31 years, recognized six built projects and two plans for Honor Awards. Also chosen for a Clearwater Award recognizing grass-roots efforts was the Billion Oyster Project in New York. Selected from 40 entries, the awards were chosen over a day-and-a-half by a jury led by Donna Walcavage, principal with Stantec of New York. The jury met at Congress Hall in this seaside resort.

2018 Awards Jury: l-r Michael Sriprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks, Elan Zingman-Leith, Historic Preservationist, Cape May, New Jersey, Chair, Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York, Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Portland, Oregon

Winners will be recognized at a half-day awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., home of the Center, on Sept. 21. After presentations by the winners, there will be a reception and dinner. Each winner is given 20 minutes to describe their project or plan. Go HERE for more information and registration.

• Top Honor Project. Senator Joseph Finnegan Park at Port Norfolk, Boston, Massachusetts. Submitted by Iris Lin, Halvorson Design Partnership, and Dan Driscoll, Mass. Dept. of Conservation + Recreation, both Boston, Massachusetts.

Before

After

Senator Joseph Finnegan Park at Port Norfolk, Boston, Massachusetts.

• Top Honor Plan. Willamette Falls Riverwalk Master Plan, Oregon City, Oregon. Submitted by Laura Terway, Metro and City of Oregon City and Carol Mayer-Reed, Mayer/Reed Inc., Portland, Oregon.

Willamette Falls Riverwalk Master Plan

Honor Awards/Projects in alphabetical order.

• Newark Riverfront Park, Newark New Jersey. Submitted by Weintraub Diaz Landscape Architecture, Nyack New York., and The Trust of Public Land, Newark, New Jersey.

Newark Riverfront Park

• Refuge Gateway and Humbug Marsh, Trenton and Gilbraltar, Michigan. Submitted by John Hartig, Fish and Wildlife Service, Grosse Isle, and A. Hicks, Hamilton Anderson Associates, Detroit, both Michigan.

Refuge Gateway and Humbug Marsh, Trenton and Gilbraltar

• South Waterfront Greenway, Portland, Oregon. Submitted by Chelsea McCann, Walker Macy, Portland, Oregon, and Thomas Balsley, Thomas Balsley Associates, New York, N.Y.

South Waterfront Greenway

• Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Wachapreague, Virginia, Campus Plan. Submitted by Donna Phaneuf, VIA design architects, Norfolk, and Dr. Richard Snyder, VIMS, Wachapreague, both Virginia.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)

• The Wharf, Washington D.C. Submitted by Mathew Jahromi, Hoffman Madison Waterfront, Washington, D.C., and Justin Wolf, Perkins Eastman, New York, New York.

The Wharf

Plan

• San Francisco Bay Trail Design Guidelines and Tool Kit, San Francisco Bay (Nine Counties), California. Submitted by Lee Huo, Association of Bay Area Governments, San Francisco, and Patrick Miller, Landscape Station, Berkeley, both California.

San Francisco Bay Trail Design Guidelines and Tool Kit

Clearwater Award

• The Billion Oyster Project, New York State. Blyss Buitrago, Community, Stewardship and Engagement Manager, Governors Island, New York. Submitted by Michael Fishman.

The Billion Oyster Project

2018 Jury Chair, Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Portland, Oregon Michael Sriprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks           Foundation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Elan Zingman-Leith, Historic Preservationist, Cape May, New Jersey

The Waterfront Center 31st Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and Reception  Friday, September 21, 2018 1:30 – 7:00 p.m. The Churchill Hotel  1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. Sign up to attend HERE Sign up as a supporter HERE

BILOXI BOUND

The City of Biloxi Hires Center Co-directors Breen and Rigby In early September Breen and Rigby will return to Biloxi after to work with the mayor and city officials and help them with various waterfront sites. To get the conversation going they will share examples of waterfront work from around the world in a tailor-made power point presentation.

July 2018 Newsletter

EXCELLENCE ON WATERFRONT AWARDS JULY 16 DEADLINE - TWO WEEKS TO GO!!! ENTER TO WIN AND BE RECOGNIZED. SEE BELOW.

The American Society of Landscape Architects Announce their 2018 Honors

Co-directors Ann Breen and Dick Rigby were quite surprised and thrilled to learn that they have been elected to be honorary members of ASLA and will be recognized during the 2018 annual conference to take place in October in Philadelphia. To quote from the press release: "Honorary membership is among the highest honors ASLA may bestow upon non-landscape architects in recognition of notable service to the profession. Since its inception in 1899, ASLA has inducted only 223 honorary members." We are quite humbled to be in such esteemed company. The other new honorary members are: Carol Ross Barney, Phillip Enquist, James Garland, Dan Gottleib, Carolyn Mitchell and Michael T. Reynolds. For more details on honorary membership and as well as others receiving various honor awards go HERE

We wish to sincerely thank Steve Durrant, Donna Walcavage, Chris Carlson, James Brennan, Michael Krieger, Joel Mills, Carol Mayer-Reed and William Wenk for nominating us and writing supporting letters.  Go to HERE for more info on the ASLA 2018 National Conference.

Whole Lot of Art Going On!

Anyone who has been around the Center knows that we have been advocates for art and culture on the waterfront for many years. Indeed, it is our aspiration to start work a book on the subject this summer. We are always excited to learn of new work being installed. You may find these stories of interest.

Chelsea Waterside Park

photo credit: New York Times Cow Head

Chelsea Waterside Park in New York welcomed two cow heads (formerly facade ornaments on the Butchers' Dressed Meat Company, a 1919 building that was demolished in 1991). The busts will play a mere supporting role in the new playground designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Art Deco-style winged carvings that once adorned entrance ramps to the West Side Highway are additional saved artifacts. The main attraction is a colorful, 64' long rendition of a pipefish that wraps around a tower with a spiral ladders and includes a water slide wide enough for two people. The pipefish "sculpture" pays homage to real 8-inch long pipefish that are among the nearly 60 species of fish found in the lower portion of the Hudson River.

Pipefish Sculpture

"A Long Cattle Drive Ends, at a Chelsea Playground" The New York Times, June 24, 2018 by Jane Margolies. See HERE

Hong Kong's New Victoria Dockside

Victoria Dockside

Victoria Dockside, a $2.6-billion project, is perched at the tip of Kowloon Peninsula is a three-million-square-foot endeavor. New World Development is transforming the area into a modern art and design district along with a host of mixed uses and an upgraded public realm.  Two American firms have been involved: James Corner Field Operations and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. The recently-opened shopping mall, K11 Musea is considered the crown jewel of the project. According to Mr. Adrian Cheng, the general manager of the mixed-use project, the 10-story Musea doubles as a a museum by the sea and a museum of muses. The Musea will house art exhibitions, live music, creativity workshops and other cultural events. For a fulsome account of the Victoria Dockside visit HERE for Kathy Leong's story and the website:

Victoria Dockside

GET RECOGNIZED! 31st Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program Selections made by independent, interdisciplinary jury. Winners receive worldwide publicity and are featured on our interactive Web Site. DEADLINE for submittals (20 images and two-page narrative) must be postmarked by July 16, 2018. Open to built projects, comprehensive plans and citizen actions as well as students. See HERE for entry details. Awards announced on Friday, September 21 at afternoon program and ceremony in Washington, D.C. Optional awards dinner. Details on Web site.

Happy Fourth of July week to one and all!.

Summertime is in full swing here in Cape May. We share a New Jersey bayfront view my two little granddaughters were taking in. Wish you fun and relaxing times with family and friends.

Early June 2018 Newsletter

Newport Shipyard

Newport Shipyard

We recently had the occasion to visit Newport, one the country's great sailing capitals and happened upon a relatively new project called the Shipyard, not far from the heart of the downtown waterfront and close to a fabulous collection of Colonial buildings. The handsome logo shows the care and thought that went into this well-designed facility.

At once a heavy-duty maintenance and repair yard/pier along with offices, commercial facilities and a small restaurant named "Belle," the project offers generous and inviting public realm. Past the guard house at the entrance is a very large shed adorned with names of boats with the very handsome "Gladiator" perched out front.

Shipyard Shed

The next huge building has a mixture of uses with the restaurant at the very end of what is termed the "Dockwalk," which allows for public access around the whole facility including inviting and attractive protected seating areas where you can eat, hang out and enjoy the view. Note the simple addition of a painted pattern that dresses up the macadam.

Dockwalk

Cafe Area

Long View of Walk

FISHERMEN'S COOP ON LONG WHARF

Fisherman's Coop

Newport Fishermen

Adjacent to the Shipyard is a pier devoted to the fishing industry, the Fisherman's Coop. From here we were able to get a good view of the Shipyard's massive lift where serious repair is going on.

Boat Lift

Besides housing the fishing fleet, a very popular Lobster Shack and seafood market were attracting crowds.

Lobster Shack

EXCELLENCE ON THE WATERFRONT AWARDS DEADLINE JULY 16, 2018

As we peruse the periodicals, the web and the newspapers, we have spotted a lot of great work out there. Visit our web site to  read about the award program, criteria and also dip into the interactive database to get a look at nearly 400 winners since 1987. Winners are invited to the September 21 ceremony, mini-conference where they discuss their projects, reception and gala dinner as Center guests.

2017 Award Winners

Last year's top honor the Big River Crossing in Memphis was featured with a big photo spread in the May 2018 Landscape Architecture Magazine (pp. 102-115).

Big River Crossing

EVENTS TO NOTE

The non-profits mentioned below offer all sorts of interesting and educational events. Visit their web pages/calendars to learn more. Summertime, Summertime and there is a lot of fun to be had on waterfronts! Below a small sample:

June 22-24 - River Days, Detroit. July 4 - Bubbly and Fireworks, Houston, Texas. Buffalo Bayou Park click HERE and check our their calendar

Buffalo Bayou Park

July 12 -14 - Riverfront Food Truck Festival, Hartford, CT. Link to Riverfront Recapture July 18 - City of Water Day, New York. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is one again coordinating a host of events throughout the region. August 16 - Floatzilla The Quad Cities Paddlesports Festival, Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois. Link to River Action Inc.

Floatzilla

October 17-18 - Designing with Water. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square Pennsylvania. Longwood Gardens and the American Academy in Rome  have joined forces to bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners to discuss strategies for designing water from the small scale to integrated regional systems. visit: designingwater.org for more details.  October 24-25 - 11th Upper Mississippi River Conference, Moline, IL. River Action, Inc. convening the annual gathering of people involved with and working on Upper Mississippi River issues. Charles River Conservancy News. The Conservancy's founder, Renata von Tscharner, is set to retire this summer. The Conservancy has named Laura Jasinski as the new executive director. Read about Renata and Laura on the Conservancy's web site:

Early May 2018 Newsletter

May

May come up with water wheels May come up with flowers May come up the same again The same again but different Anon

May IS a special month enchanting us with the beauty of nature emerging anew. “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Rachel Carson

Center Celebrates 37th Anniversary

On a beautiful spring day in 1981 - May 1 to be exact - co-founders Breen and Rigby formalized the paperwork establishing the non-profit Waterfront Center. Some skeptics couldn't believe we could have an organization about waterfronts! Well, the certified global phenomenon has proved them wrong. We would like to thank and recognize all the people who have supported the Center over the years: those who attended one or more of our 34annual conferences, submitted plans or projects to the Awards program (now in its 31st year), hired the Center and its teams to help with participatory planning and developing concept plans. We have been privileged to meet literally thousands of individuals working of rivers, lakes, bays, oceans, canals and streams throughout the world. Waterfront transformations are not easy and we salute the hard work, determination and patience of the many who are involved in these complicated, worthy endeavors. Ours is an educational organization and we hope many have benefited from our newsletters, books and other forms of communication. Sincerest thanks also to the various members of our staff and interns over the years.

"The Shorebird - Rachel Carson and the rising of the seas" by Jill Lepore

Jill Lepore

In the March 26 issue of The New Yorker, a fascinating article about Rachel Carson is definitely worth a read. Carson notably famous for her groundbreaking Silent Spring published in 1962 without which we might not have all the environmental protections we have enjoyed for nearly four decades (think Clean Air and Water Acts; National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act). More's the pity what we witness going on in EPA today! Jill Lepore's piece about Carson not only succintly renders biographical detail but, important for waterfront folks, describes her love of the sea. She wrote two books still available: "The Sea Around Us" in 1951 and "The Edge of the Sea" in 1955. She wrote the latter from her beloved cottage perched atop a bluff on the coast of Maine. She did not live to write the next book she was contemplating about the swelling of the seas. "We live in age of rising seas," she wrote." In our own lifetimes we are witnessing a startling alteration of climate." Author Lepore concludes her thoughtful profile: "This spring, in the North Atlantic, not a single newborn right whale has been spotted: the water, it seems, is to warm; the mothers have birthed no calves. The sea is all around us. It is our home. And the last calf is our, inconsolable, loss."

Rachel Carson

"WATER AND THE WALL"

A river trip through the borderlands that Trump wants to fence off by Nick Paumgarten The New Yorker, April 23, 2018

This is a river story or more precisely two river stories. In 1977 four Dartmouth undergraduates undertook a four-month adventure to mount an expedition to document their voyage along the two-thousand-mile Rio Grande for the first time in history. The fourth largest river in the United States, the Rio Grande drops out of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and empties into the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville, Texas. The river landscape varied from dry river beds (they had to use bikes) to lush tropical flora with riverbanks and wetlands full of wildlife. Forty years later Bob Reicher, one of the original canoeists from Dartmouth, decided to put together another journey along the Rio Grande to not only celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (this act now covers more than 12,000 miles of rivers and streams). The trip was also a response to Trump's wall. Dan Reicher, a board member of American Rivers, teamed up with Bob Irwin, president of the non-profit advocacy group. American Rivers for the first time since 2003 placed the Rio Grande among the ten most endangered rivers. Joining Reicher, Irwin and the author of this article were 20 intrepid souls and four guides. Democratic senator from New Mexico, Tom Udall, and Theodore Roosevelt IV brought strong conservationist lineage to the assembly.

Among the many facts our reporter Paumgarten brings to our attention: • The wall would go on the American side of the river a good distance from the banks. • It would seal the United States off from the river and cede it to Mexico. • it would cut people off from their property and wildlife from the main source of water. • Ninety-three listed or proposed endangered species would be adversely affected. • Hundreds of miles of inhospitable desert terrain border both sides of the river. • Additionally a hundred miles of deep canyons cut through it - far more prohibitive to immigrants than a slab of concrete or steel. Paumgarten wryly points out the canyons don't require Congressional funding!

The story is chock full of historical and cultural anecdotes, the lure and life style of river trips, colorful characters and reflections by paddlers on the wall. When Bob Reicher reflected on his youthful journey he turned to Heraclitus with a quote that is no doubt applicable to all such trips: "No man steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man."

31st Excellence on the Waterfront Program Ten Reasons to Enter!

Get your waterfront project/plan worldwide recognition! The winning entrants and their project or plans:    • are announced at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on September 21, 2018 attended by practitioners like yourself;    • opportunity to give a presentation of your undertaking, with images;    • are celebrated at a champagne reception that follows;    • are treated to a gala dinner in a private room for winners, jurors and past winners;    • are included in a special illustrated 16-page booklet that you receive with your certificate;    • are featured on the Center’s website showing images of the ceremonies and the winners accepting their awards, and    • are also included on the Center website’s interactive database depicts the nearly 400 + projects that have won awards since 1987 – a unique resource freely available to anyone interested. Your award is then announced to the following:    • The Center’s press list of 600+,    • An e-mail list numbering in the thousands,    • Included in a special e-blast devoted to the 2016 Excellence on the Waterfront award winners. Entering is simple: a two-page narrative that addresses judging criteria and 20 images. That is all that is required! Additional information such as articles, endorsement by local officials, additional photos are welcome. Full details and entry form on our Web site HERE

DEADLINE: POSTMARKED BY JULY 16, 2018!  An interdisciplinary jury of varied geography and city sizes will convene in Cape May, N.J., in July. They will spend a full day-and-half reviewing the entries and selecting a limited number of winners. In most years, a Top Honor project and Top Honor plan are picked.

DOWN MEMORY LANE

Urban Waterfronts '86 - Finale Presentation

Folksinger Larry Long from Minneapolis leads attendees group round circle in singing "Farewell My Friends". Show left to right: Rick Wiederhorn, then with City of St. Paul, unidentified woman , Breen and Rigby.

Center Board meeting aboard Bargemusic, below the Brooklyn Bridge in 1987

Left to right: the late Olga Bloom, founder of Bargemusic; Ellen Dawson; Chuck Davis, president, EHDD, Barry Hersh, currently at New York University, Doug Sethness, CH2M; Barbara Kauffman, currently Newark Renaissance, Stu Dawson, principal, Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Massachusetts; Michael Krieger, then with the Port Authority NY&NJ, Joe Schachter, Concrete Flotation Systems the late Mickey Murphy, citizen activist and Willem Polak, Potomac Riverboat Company, Alexandria, Virginia.

CBS Interview Summer, 1994

Dick Rigby and Ann Breen being interviewed for CBS's Sunday Good Morning America show on the Baltimore waterfront. More precisely on a Fells Point Pier. Note the City Pier in the background the location for the TV show Homicide. The building and pier have recently been completely renovated into a spiffy new hotel complex by Under Armour.

1994 Interdisciplinary Awards Jury in Cape May, NJ

Standing left to right: the Honorable Bill Norrie, then mayor of Winnipeg; Deb Dietsch, then editor of Architecture magazine; the late Barry Young, urban designer, Sydney, Australia, Keimi Harada, architect, Tokyo. Seated left to right: Jennifer Bartlett, staff volunteer, directors Breen and Rigby and staff member Susan Kirk

Clearwater Winners at the 2005 Conference

The Clearwater award is given to grass roots individuals and organizations for their contributions to their waterfronts. The six winners who were on hand in Portland pictured left to right: Kathy Wine, River Action, Inc., Quad Cities, Iowa and Illinois, Holly Ewald, Pawtuxet Village Voices & Vistions, Pawtuxet, Rhode Island, Sandy Threlfall, Waterfront Action, Oakland, Calfironia, Marianna Koval, Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, Mayor Koichi Sueyoshi, Women's Battle for Blue Skies and Clean Water, Kitakyushu, Japan, the late Sylvia McLaughlin, Citizens for East Shore Park, Berkeley, California and Mrs. Sueyoshi.

25th Anniversay Gala Dinner at Pier 4 on the Boston Harbor

Mr. Fumihiko Tanaka, director, water environment section, Kitakyushu, Pratap Talwar, Thompson & Associates, Boston; Charlotte DeWitt, International Festivals, Boston, Akiko Kinoshita, Owls Ltd., interpreter joined by the Mayor of Kitakyushu and his wife.

April 2018 Newsletter

Excellence on the Waterfront 2018 Awards Program

Deadline for Submittals: July 16, 2018 Forms and instructions are now posted HERE 2018 Interdisciplinary Jury Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York will be this year's jury chair. She will be joined by Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Portland, Oregon, Lamarco Morrison, City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, Greenville, North Carolina and Michael Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.  We encourage those considering entering to visit the website and browse through material about previous winners including the interactive database which give details on the over 400 winners from 1987-2018.

The Waterfront Center 31st Annual Excellence on the Waterfront  Mini-Conference Awards Ceremony and Reception

Friday, September 21, 2018 12:30 – 7:00 p.m. The Churchill Hotel  1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.

Friday afternoon attendees at the mini-conference will hear presentations by the 2018 award winners. The winners will be announced on the Center’s web site in August and the list of speakers posted. They will receive their awards and be feted at a champagne reception following the ceremony. Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York, this year’s jury chair, will preside. Fee will include conference attendance and the reception.

Gala Dinner Honoring the 2018 Winners  Friday, September 21, 2018, 7:30 p.m.  2101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

The Optional Gala Dinner, immediately following the awards reception at the Churchill Hotel, is held in the historic parlor of the 1927 apartment building across from the hotel. The convivial evening will include a delicious multi-course meal with wine and champagne toasts. Sign up on the Center's Website. Details to be published in mid-April

Urban Waterfronts Still on a Roll

The urban waterfront phenomenon begun in earnest nearly 40 years ago continues apace – whether new projects or re-dos. Here are some  articles/links to check out.

Another Chicago Navy Pier Renovation

Navy Pier has long been a fixture on Chicago’s Lakefront and the article “Pier Review” by Zach Mortice, pages 93-109 in the December 2017 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine offers a fulsome history of the 3,300 foot structure as well as detailed account of James Corner Field operations update. The pier has always been a major public space but in the words of Steve Haemmerle, executive director of Navy Pier: “ Public places are living, breathing things, and in order to remain relevant throughout time, they need to adapt and be flexible.” The 1990’s revision added a Ferris Wheel along with a mix of commercial uses and entertainment that gave short shrift to the planned open spaces. This current remake is the “product of careful decluttering as much as it’s a showcase of new space” and is sleeker and provides much more public realm. The article is fully illustrated with photos and diagrams.

The Navy Pier

The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel The Navy Pier Fountain

The Navy Pier Park

Some background:

See chapter on Navy Pier in The New Waterfront: A Worldwide Urban Success Story by Breen and Rigby, pages 84-87. The renovation preceding the latest one was completed in 1995 at a cost of $150 million. The design team was Thompson and Wood Associates and VOA.  The biggest splash if you will was the installation of the Ferris Wheel that had historic significance since George Ferris first displayed the amusement ride that now carries his name in 1883 at the Chicago's World's Fair. The six-story Crystal Gardens featuring palm trees was one of the first attractions. Remembering…….what pier public access looked like in 1995!

Crystal Gardens in 1995

Thirty some years ago things were quite different as you can see from this photo from our files. Well, however rudimentary, at least you could sit, get views the lake, and maybe catch a fish. Shows you how far we have come in the design and execution of our urban waterfronts!!!  People ask us all the time: “What has changed?”

The Navy Pier in 1985

Major Developments in Dundee, Scotland

Dundee Waterfront, is a massive 1-billion-pound transformation of 593 acres on the River Tay that is the longest river in Scotland. This ambitious project will include all manner of commercial, residential, recreational, tourist developments and major amounts of public realm.  We urge you to visit their Website to gain an in-depth understanding of the project. There is a fly through of the project HERE.

Dundee Waterfront

Among many exciting developments and plans in the works for the Dundee Waterfront is a new Victoria and Albert Dundee Museum designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, set to open on September 15, 2018. This international center of design will feature Scotland's design heritage for the first time. Besides Scottish Design Galleries, the museum will house touring exhibitions from around the world, temporary exhibitions as well as learning spaces for all ages.

Victoria and Albert Dundee international center of design

A fly through of the Victoria and Albert Dundee international center of design is shown HERE

Conferences/Events of Note

Light City Baltimore Festival Field Trip April 11 - 22, 2018 Baltimore, Maryland

Waterfront Alliance Annual Meeting: "Cities on the Edge" New York, NewYork May 8, 2018 Aboard the Hornblower Infinity National Working Waterfronts & Waterways Symposium May 14-17, 2018 Grand Rapids, Michigan Contact: breederl@msu.edu deadline for hotel Early bird April 13 See HERE 11th Annual Upper Mississippi River Conference October 24-25, 2018, Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center Moline, Illinois

Late March 2018 Newsletter

The Old Mill District, Bend, Oregon, 2017 Honor Award Photo Nate Wyeth, Project Design: Mayer/Reed

GET RECOGNIZED!

31st Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program

Selections made by independent, interdisciplinary jury. Winners receive worldwide publicity and are featured on our interactive Web Site. DEADLINE for submittals (20 images and two-page narrative) must be postmarked by July 16, 2018. Open to built projects, comprehensive plans and citizen actions as well as students. See HERE for entry details. Awards announced on Friday, September 21 at afternoon program and ceremony in Washington, D.C. Optionai awards dinner. Details on Web site. If you wish to receive our periodic newsletter send an email to: mail@waterfrontcenter.org and make the request.

Mid March 2018 Newsletter

A Brilliant Waterfront Opportunity Awaits!!! Special Field Trip to the Baltimore Festival City Lights April 13-15, 2018

A longtime friend and associate of the Waterfront Center has put together a really exciting weekend for those interested in experiencing this spectacular event that won a 2017 Excellence on the Waterfront Honor Award (check out HERE for more info).

Light City Baltimore Festival Field Trip April 13-15, 2018 Baltimore, Maryland

Pictured: Peacock by Tim Scofield & Kyle Miller with Steve Dalnekoff & Will Cocks. Photo courtesy of Crystal Whitman

Charlie the Peacock will host a Behind the Scenes field trip to the third annual Light City Baltimore Festival April 13-15. The festival is America’s only large-scale international light and ideas festival. For waterfront specialists, Light City re-imagines the waterfront into a premier cultural destination: fully accessible, free and open to all. The festival, running April 14-21, is the perfect marriage of cutting edge artistic installations utilizing the latest lighting technology set against the backdrop of Baltimore’s beautifully restored Inner Harbor. Neighborhood Lights installations April 6-8 and Labs@Light City innovation conferences April 18-21 act as bookends to the festival. According to Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), in just its second year, Light City 2017 attracted nearly 500,000 nighttime visitors, generated $44 million in economic impact, and created one billion media impressions for Baltimore. Conceptualized in 2015 to shed a “light” on all the amazing cultural, artistic, and community assets that define the city in the aftermath of the tragic death of Freddie Gray in May 2015, Light City is an extraordinary testament to the transformative, healing powers of light as a way of bringing people together in a secure, celebratory setting.   86% of visitors said they felt safe during the festival;   88% felt it changes perceptions of Baltimore; and   91% would recommend friends and family visit Light City. Click HERE to see Baltimore’s powerpoint presentation at The Waterfront Center’s 2017 Excellence on the Waterfronts awards ceremony.

Light, innovation, and ideas

Special arrangements for Waterfront Center participants include VIP credentials to the festival and hospitality areas, including an invitation to a private preview event on Friday, April 13th at Light City Baltimore’s VIP Artists’ Reception and Media Preview Party from 5-7 p.m., followed by the final, full dress rehearsal of the light installations from 8-10 p.m., courtesy of Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, producers of Light City Baltimore.  VIP Venue is Pier 5 Hotel, 711 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202, with validated parking at the hotel for those driving. The opening night parade is Saturday, April 14, with informal walking tours and discussions on April 14 and 15. Twenty-one light artists were commissioned by an international jury at a cost of $2million to create light installations for the festival and to work with local artists to create “Neighborhood Lights” displays during the week prior to the festival.   We have a block of discounted hotel rooms (closing soon) and special hotel packages, as well as validated parking at Pier 5 Hotel for those driving.

For further information

Behind the Scenes of Light City Baltimore is produced by Charlotte DeWitt, CFEE, President of International Events, Boston. Email: charlotte@internationaleventsltd.com Cell: +1 617 513-5696. Charlotte is Past-Chair of the International Festivals and Events Association, and founder/past-President-CEO of IFEA Europe. She is a member of the IFEA Hall of Fame, the industry’s highest honor.

Limited space! Please pre-register by Wednesday, April 4, 2018. RSVP to charlotte@internationaleventsltd.com

Confirmation details and an updated program will be send upon registration. There is no cost to register. Participants are responsible for their own travel, hotel accommodations, and meals. Accessibility In an effort to provide a positive experience for all, Light City is a fully accessible event, regardless of ability.

Light City Field Trip at a Glance

Pictured: Elantica by Tom Dekyvere. Photo courtesy of Bart van Overbeeke Fotografie.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Artists’ Reception and Media preview party Courtesy of Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts 4:30PM Registration 5-7PM Program 8-10PM Final Dress Rehearsal

Light City VIP Lounge Pier 5 Hotel 711 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21202 Limited space. Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 4, 2018, to charlotte@internationaleventsltd.com

April 14-15, 2018

Light City Opening Night Parade April 14 Informal walking tours and discussions TBA https://lightcity.org/

Late February 2018 Newsletter

Urban Waterfront 2018 - Yuma Powerpoint Presentations Now on the Web!

If you missed the conference altogether or were there and missed some presentations because you were attending another panel, Stewart has secured the material and placed it on the web. They can be seen HERE. The conference was highly informative including an in-depth exploration of the Colorado River and presentations from a variety of speakers from around the U.S.

Book of Note

Visualizing the Universe: Athena Tacha's Proposals for Public Art Commissions - 1972-2012

Artist Athena Tacha is a longtime friend of the Waterfront Center who helped us put together our first public art panel in 1984. At the time despite the star power (Robert Irwin, Siah Armajani and herself) it drew very few attendees as the topic was quite new. When we repeated an art panel in 1997 in Baltimore that included Athena, the room was packed. Today public art in its many guises is not so novel any more, enriching the world around us.  Visualizing the Universe is an exhaustive history of the Athena's proposals as a finalist for 139 permanent public art commissions including the 45 that she won. This book gives insights into the world of public art competitions, commissions and indeed the whole realm of public art. One can see and read about works that were never built, were built and destroyed as well as ones that survive. The text is greatly enhanced by color photographs and drawings.  In 1970 Athena articulated her two basic principles for her art: " -To render perceptible the rhythms of energy and after that I sense within the visible universe, from the macro to the micro levels.  - To execute my sculpture in public spaces, making it available to everybody to experience."   Visualizing the Universe. Edited by Richard E. Spear. Grayson Publishing. 2017.

Plastics Penance

Whether you are a Lenten observer or not, the Church of England put out the suggestion of giving up plastic instead of sweets or other more typical practices. Given our mission to promote cleaner water, this change in habit might be a good thing year-round. See: "What to Give Up for Lent" by Richard Perez-Pena in the February 15, 2018 New York Times.

Collecting Plastic Waste

Incidentally, as Washingtonians, we do know that the 5-cent charge for plastic grocery bags put into practice here has made a major change and helped the Anacostia River.

Conference/Events of Note

Waterfront Alliance Annual Meeting: "Cities on the Edge" May 8, 2018 Aboard the Hornblower Infinity

Aboard the Hornblower Infinity

National Working Waterfronts & Waterways Symposium May 14-17, 2018 Grand Rapids, Michigan Contact: breederl@msu.edu

Grand Rapids Michigan

11th Annual Upper Mississippi River Conference October 24-25, 2018, Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center Moline, Illinois

Moline

February 2018 Newsletter

The Waterfront Center 31stAnnual Excellence on the Waterfront Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and Reception  Friday, September 21, 2018 12:30 – 7:00 p.m. The Churchill Hotel 1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.

Friday afternoon attendees at the mini-conference will hear presentations by the 2018 award winners. The winners will be announced on the Center’s web site in August and the list of speakers posted. They will receive their awards and be feted at a champagne reception following the ceremony. Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York, this year’s jury chair, will preside. Fee will include conference attendance and the reception.

Gala Dinner Honoring the 2018 Winners  7:30 p.m. 2101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

The Optional Gala Dinner, immediately following the awards reception at the Churchill Hotel, is held in the historic parlor of the 1927 apartment building across from the hotel. The convivial evening will include a delicious multi-course meal with wine and champagne toasts.

Awards Gala Dinner 2016

Sign up on the Center's Website: www.waterfrontcenter.org. Details to be published in late February.

Excellence on the Waterfront 2018 Awards Program

Deadline for Submittals: July 16, 2018 Forms and instructions are now posted HERE

2018 Interdisciplinary Jury

Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York will be this year's jury chair. She will be joined by Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Portland, Oregon, Lamarco Morrison, City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, Greenville, North Carolina and Michael Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. We encourage those considering entering to visit the website and browse through material about previous winners including the interactive database which give details on the over 400 winners from 1987-2018.

Urban Waterfronts 2018 - Snapshots from our 33rd Conference

The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Corporation, our co-hosts, pulled out all the stops for this waterfront gathering held in this sunniest of cities. Our thanks once again to Charlie Flynn and his dedicated and talented staff - not to mention his wife, Ann who volunteered, for all their hard work to make this a very memorable event.

Charlie Flynn and Ann Walker

Wednesday evening's a pre-workshop networking social featured delicious drinks and dinner was held in the 1909 repurposed old St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Delegates attending the Thursday field trip got a full briefing of the remarkable achievements along the Colorado River in Yuma (see awards database and previous newsletters to see images) and a bus ride out for a site visit to the Imperial Dam.

Imperial Dam Tour

Tour wound up with date shakes at the Imperial Date Gardens -- a revelation for many that Yuma has Medjool date farms!  The social events were spectacular! Thursday evening we watched the sunset from the historic Territorial Prison yard followed by a most incredible dinner in the Cell Blocks!

Dinner at the Territorial Prison

Friday, attendees were treated to a very special Mexican Fiesta with margaritas, music, dancing and great food.

Fiesta

Fiesta Dancers

Balancing all the fun, the program itself featured wonderful speakers sharing their expertise. The keynote speaker, Anne Castle, former assistant secretary for Water and Science at the US Department of the Interior, enlightened us about the intricacies of the Colorado River's water supply and flow.

Ann Castle

Mary Miss, artist and founder City as Living Laboratory, delivered a thought provoking finale presentation beginning with her work at Battery Park City, touching on waterfront pieces elsewhere and winding up with her more recent interactive endeavors in Indianapolis and Milwaukee. See her web site to see the full range of her work.

Mary Miss at the Cell Block dinner

Over 15 presentations covered the many facets of Colorado River as well as speakers dealing with an array of waterfront issues from other parts of the country. The power points from these sessions will be posted on the Center's website.

Co-directors Rigby and Breen shown here at the Fiesta wish you had been there. Think about joining us September 21 in Washington for the Awards event!

Dick Rigby and Ann Breen

January 2018 Newsletter

Urban Waterfronts 2018 The 33rd Annual International Conference Yuma, Arizona January 26-27, 2018

JANUARY 12, REGISTRATION DEADLINE. Visit HERE

NOT TOO LATE -- BEAT THE JANUARY CHILL!!

Join us in sunny Yuma where the temperature will be more like 72 not 15 pictured above. Working with Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area staff, we think we have pulled together a dynamite educational and social program. You'll learn a lot and meet wonderful fellow professionals working on waterfronts.

Bone Up on the Colorado River and the West

Charlie Flynn, executive director of Yuma Crossing has pulled together three panels for the conference that will illuminate the varied and complex issues and challenges involved with this storied river. To get in the mood, you might want to go the your library or bookstore and get a hold of one or more of the following.  Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River by John Owen, author and New Yorker contributor.  Quoting the book reviewer, David Biello in the May 28, 2017 NYT Book Review:  "The waterways of the west now exist as monuments to an ambitious desert civilization. Across the vast region of America, few, if any rivers flow without hosting one or more dams, concrete channels, diversions or other human-made "improvements" that allow people and farming to flourish in this dry country. And few, if any, rivers reveal this unnatural world more than the Colorado, which no longer reaches the sea or carries along its entire 1,450 mile-length much of the reddish silt that inspired its name." Also:  Cadillac Desert by Marc Reinhart - a classic book from 1986 which remains the definitive work on the West and its water problems. Water is Worth Fighting Over by John Fleck, a water reporter who documents the ongoing struggles between the various factions. If you are attending the workshop on Thursday, January 26, you'll get a first hand look at Yuma's Award-winning riverfront and drive through some spectacular scenery to reach the Imperial Dam.   Perusing Periodicals - Some Articles of Note The Winter 2017 issue of Nature Conservancy has several very informative pieces that point up the important work of non-profits like the Nature Conservancy. Given the current rollbacks on environmental regulation and funding, these groups need support more than ever.  • "Winds of Change" Following years of careful planning to protect birds, bats, marine wildlife and fishing, wind turbines operated by Deepwater Wind have been placed off the coast of Rhode Island providing renewable energy to homes on Block Island.  • "The California Effect" by Brendan Borrell. California's cap-and-trade program is supporting scores of conservation project from Virginia to Alaska, providing funding for forests and other projects that sequester carbon or reduce ozone-depleting substances. The article provides a useful map illustrating where the number of projects around the country that are earning credits for reducing carbon. While the U.S. government is backing away from climate commitments, states are stepping up, none more profoundly than California.  • "Greater Lakes - a $2 billion collaboration between farmers, conservationists and governments aims to repair the largest flowing freshwater system on earth," by Amy Crawford. This well-illustrated article documents the history of diminishment and pollution of the lakes and rivers that flow into them. While pollution was reduced after the 1972 Clean Water Act but the lakes were then plagued with invasive species brought in by seagoing vessels. Since 2010 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, backed with major funding and administered by the EPA and other federal programs, as well as state, local and non-profit entities like the Nature Conservancy, aims to continue to reduce pollution, restore wetlands and reduce agricultural runoff among other projects. Given the importance the Great Lakes economically and environmentally to the eight states and one Canadian province that touch their shores, this program is extremely important to put it mildly. In March of 2017, the White House budget proposal set out to eliminate funding for the initiative and slash EPA's overall budget by a third. Not surprisingly the proposed cuts are being met with bi-partisan opposition. (Go to the web and search Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to learn latest developments e.g. funding for 2017 was preserved. The real challenge will be 2018).

Excellence on the Waterfront 2018 Awards Program Deadline for Submittals: July 16, 2018

The 2018 Interdisciplinary Jury: Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York, Jury Chair Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Portland, Oregon Lamarco Morrison, City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, Greenville, North Carolina Michael Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.    Forms and instructions will be posted in early 2018.

Mid December 2017 Newsletter

Urban Waterfronts 2018

33rd Annual International Conference on Waterfront Planning, Development and Culture January 26-27, Yuma Arizona

REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JANUARY 12, 2018  Visit HERE for complete information and registration

REMINDER - HOTEL CUT-OFF!

Hilton Garden Inn. A block of rooms has been set aside for conference attendees at Hilton Garden Inn overlooking the Colorado River. A special room rate of $139 will be available until December 25, 2017. Make your reservations to assure this offer by calling 928 783 1500 and mentioning the Waterfront Conference to receive the rate. When calling make your reservation at the front desk as they know about group rates.  Social and Networking Opportunities. Our co-hosts have gone out of their way to provide some very special venues. Thursday night we'll have a catered dinner in a repurposed old church. On Thursday night we will dine in the old cell block area of the Yuma Territorial Prison. Friday night, a full-fledged Mexican Fiesta awaits at a former warehouse in the Historic Quartermaster's Depot (now renamed the Colorado River Historic State Park) a short walk from the conference center. Back in 1864 all far flung military posts at the traced their roots to this base in Yuma.  The bookstore at the Depot carries a fascinating read: Vanished Arizona: Revelations of the Army Life of a New England Woman by Martha Summerhayes. This amazing story recounted by an Army wife details her experiences during the 1870s in Arizona. She paints a vivid picture of the harsh climate, rattle snakes, cactus thorns, white desperadoes among many other hardships and makes one appreciate how extremely difficult life was in the frontier-military West.

A Closer Look at Yuma's Riverfront

Earlier this year, we sent an e-letter showing various aspects of this incredible restoration of 400 acres.  While touring the parks, we noted what that little extra in the budget can do toward design details that can make a difference in 'placemaking.' Below are some examples of things to look out for when you tour the parks, Thursday, January 25th.  One of many park benches found throughout the parks, the design is straightforward, easily maintained, sturdy and the logo makes it distinctive.

Park Benches and Lights

Interpretive signs are found scattered throughout. This one depicts what once was the blighted "City Dump' that now has been transformed into a 110-acre riverfront park.

Sign Showing Former City Dump

So often public restrooms are cinderblock monoliths. Anyone who has seen our visual presentations knows how we like to point out imaginative examples. Note the interesting, sculpted ironwork at the entrance to this restroom.

Restroom Entrance

This year's awards winners featured not one but two bridges, one in Memphis and one in Fort Worth see HERE to learn more. Here in Yuma, a pedestrian bridge receives an extra artistic boost.

Yuma Pedestrian Bridge

Pedestrian Bridge Detail

Gates installed to keep vehicles from coming and going when not appropriate usually look like something found along a highway: steel and sturdy, nothing to write home about. How refreshing to discover these somewhat nature-inspired portals.

Traffic Control Gates

Given the Arizona climate in Yuma, throughout the park are a number of what they call 'rarmadas' that provide shade, tables and in some cases barbecues. ( "Ramada' was a new term to us that translates to an arbor or porch to provide shade usually found on beaches or picnic grounds.) Below are examples found around the community fishing lake. Here again note the artful touch in the tile.

Lakeshore Ramada

Ramada Interior

Fish on Ramada Tiles

Man on Ramada Tiles

A ramada with children's play area is a popular spot along the Colorado.

Ramada with Chidren's Play Area

Dick pauses at this handsome rest stop to look out towards the river.

Excellence on the Waterfront 2018 Awards Program Deadline for Submittals: July 16, 2018

Forms and instructions will be posted in early 2018. Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York will be this year's jury chair. To date she will be joined by Lamarco Morrison, City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, Greenville, North Carolina, Michael Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Portland, Oregon Awards Ceremony, mini-conference, reception and gala dinner will take place September 21, 2018 at The Churchill Hotel, Washington, DC. The dinner will be held at 2101 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Registration and more information will be posted on the website in January.

Early December 2017 Newsletter

Remember the Center - Make a Year-End Donation

As you consider your year-end giving, we hope you will keep the Waterfront Center in mind. Every little bit helps. This year we will be holding our 33rd international conference in January; conducting our 31st Excellence on the Waterfront Awards program including the Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner on September 21, 2018. For the last several years we have been giving all the winners a free admission to the ceremony, reception and dinner which adds to the festivity but also to the bottom line. We continue to update our databases, doing an inventory of our image collection and of course issuing periodic e-letters. Thanks to all our past supporters! Send your check to: The Waterfront Center, PO Box 53351, Washington, DC 20009 or give us a call at 202 337 0356 and we can take your credit card information over the phone.

Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus First Hand 2007 Excellence on the Waterfront Award Winner

Over Thanksgiving trying to avoid crowds in tourist attractions or the Black Friday mobs, we suggested to my cousins a field trip to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. We all ventured down to this 1,200-acre site proceeded through the gate and past the stately homes and passed many impressive office buildings till we came upon the huge industrial brick buildings - not to mention all the gigantic mothballed vessels. Our main agenda was to take a look at the Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus, the work of Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle based in Minneapolis. Of course we had seen images from the awards submittal but the reality exceeded our expectations and we want to return to see more of the Navy Yard and be able to take photos when the sunlight is not doing its early winter fade. The imaginative adaptive reuse of the massive structures and the creative celebration of the industrial heritage and artifacts are striking.  Below are glimpses of parts of the extensive public realm:

Logo and old storage tank

One of many pathways. Note the reused rubble used as a bioswale to capture the rainwater.

Note echoes of the rail lines and the handsome plantings.

What appears to be a storage shed or maybe it's a "folly" of some kind reuses old wood and corrugated metal.

"Ballast benches," and reused paving amidst the landscaping.

The entrance to building 543 boasts an old black and yellow artifact.

As one approaches building 543 that houses offices, work spaces, a cafeteria open to the public, a fitness center, and a cafe we caught a glimpse through one of large windows of what looked like shimmering water. In reality, once inside, we discovered it to be a wall covered with glimmering discs - in effect a stunning "water wall" with the atrium off to the right and retained rail lines.

'Water Wall'

Another view of the "water wall" and more ballast.

The very large atrium space is broken up with the cafe and seating; conference style tables and seating; small pools that echo the nearby river with cube seating and a small art exhibition space separated from the cafeteria by scrim screens.

Atrium cafe

Atrium tables

Pool

Scrim screens

The cafeteria scene in the late afternoon light affords views out onto the waterfront including the breathtaking sight of an aircraft carrier.

Views from the cafeteria

We only wished we had not run out of time and light to take in more of this extraordinary campus that has preserved and recycled five handsome historic buildings. Kudos to all involved in the vision and execution of this remarkable place. We urge you to visit our interactive awards database found on our web HERE, type in "Urban Outfitters" and you can read lots more.

Meet Some Winners during Urban Waterfronts 33 January 26 - 27, Yuma, Arizona

Urban Waterfronts 33 is shaping up to be a really interesting event that will include a number of Excellence on the Waterfront winners apart from the fact that Yuma's riverfront itself was a winner. Last e-letter we profiled Fred Phillips. We'd like to introduce more in future e-letters.

Carol Mayer-Reed of Mayer-Reed, Portland, Oregon

Carol Mayer-Reed and her firm Mayer-Reed, Portland, Oregon received an award in 1987 -- the first year of the awards program -- for Sellwood Riverfront Park combining park space, wetlands and a flood-able beach. Her firm also won in 2001 for the Eastbank Esplanade that includes a remarkable floating walkway that opened up access to the east side of the river across from the downtown enabling the public to do a loop. She will be speaking on Friday afternoon relating the past, present and future of Portland's waterfronts.

Sellwood Riverfront Park

Eastbank Esplanade

Hotel cut-off is December 25! Call Hilton Garden Inn. A block of rooms has been set aside for conference attendees at Hilton Garden Inn overlooking the Colorado River. A special room rate of $139 will be available until December 25, 2017. Make your reservations to assure this offer by calling 928 783 1500 and mentioning the Waterfront Conference to receive the rate. You need to make these reservations through the front desk not "reservations."

Register for the Yuma Conference HERE

Awards Deadline and Ceremony

AWARDS DEADLINE: JULY 16, 2018. Watch the Website in January for details. Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, 2018 Jury Chair.  Next year's Awards Ceremony, Reception and Gala Dinner will be September 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. We will return to the Churchill Hotel for the awards ceremony and reception and hold the dinner at 2101 Connecticut Avenue. More information and registration will be posted on the web site in early January.

November 2017 Newsletter

Urban Waterfronts 2018 33rd Annual International Conference on Waterfront Planning, Development and Culture January 26-27, Yuma Arizona

The conference offers a unique opportunity to experience two very different tracks. One track concentrates on the many issues surrounding the past and future of the Colorado River. The second track has speakers from around the country who will address resiliency broadly defined and case studies tracing the history and future in Baltimore, Portland, Oregon and Philadelphia. Visit HERE for complete information and registration Hilton Garden Inn. A block of rooms has been set aside for conference attendees at Hilton Garden Inn overlooking the Colorado River. A special room rate of $139 will be available until December 25, 2017. Make your reservations to assure this offer by calling 928 783 1500 and mentioning the Waterfront Conference to receive the rate. The hotel is next door to the Pivot Point Conference where sessions will be held. The hotel has an attractive lobby, bar and restaurant as well as a pool area.  Social and Networking Opportunities. Our co-hosts have gone out of their way to provide some very special venues. Wednesday night we'll have a catered dinner in a repurposed old church. On Thursday night we will dine in the old cell block area of the Yuma Territorial Prison. (If you are an aficionado of old Westerns, the prison gets lots of mention in the film 3:10 to Yuma - worth another viewing to get you in the mood). Friday night, a full fledged Mexican Fiesta awaits at a former warehouse in the Historic Quartermaster's Depot (now renamed the Colorado River Historic State Park) a short walk from the conference center. Back in 1864 all far flung military posts at the time traced their roots to this base in Yuma. Most registration fees are inclusive, so no add-ons for the dinners and receptions.

Excellence on the Waterfront 2018 Awards Program Deadline for Submittals: July 16, 2018

Donna Walcavage

Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York will be this year's jury chair. To date she will be joined by Lamarco Morrison, City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, Greenville, North Carolina and Michael Sripiprasert, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. Two additional juror have been invited and will be announced on the Website.

Forms and instructions will be posted in early 2018

2014 Honor Award Winner Fred Phillips Featured in October 2017 Landscape Architecture Magazine

Fred Phillips

Fred Phillips and his Flagstaff, Arizona landscape architecture firm specializing in wetland restoration won an Excellence on the Waterfront award for their work in Yuma, Arizona where 1,400 acres were restored to become Yuma East Wetlands as well as Quechan Sunrise Park. Fred will be one of the presenters at our upcoming 33rd annual international conference in Yuma in January. Participants will also hear about and see the result of the work along the Colorado River during the all-day workshop and field trip.

Bangka Island Tin Mines

In the October issue of LAM readers can learn about his newest project working to reclaim the enormous degraded landscape left by the tin mining industry. "What Will It Take to Make Indonesian Tin Miners Stewards of the Land?"by Brian Barth.  The story describes how Apple hired Phillips to undertake a 125-acre restoration pilot project for turning illegal tin miners into eco-friendly farmers. Wet, tropical places such as found on Bangka Island allow dense, multistory plantings. The plan calls for starting with nonfood crops moving to more diversity as time goes by and the biological activity increases. Phillips thinks the reason Apple hired him is that they heard of his experiences getting people with diverse backgrounds talking to each other.

Bangka Island Tin Mines

Center Friends Recognized

Rod Marler, director design + place, Panuku Development, Auckland was honored to receive the New Zealand Property Council's "People in Property" award in recognition of his leadership of the Wynyard Quarter project. Many may recall that Waterfront Auckland (predecessor to Panuku Development) won top honor for a major component of Wynyard Quarter: Jellicoe St, North Wharf Promenade and Silo Park in 2012. The Wynyard Centeral Integrated Development Plan was honored by the Center Jury in 2015. Rod has also made presentations in Washington and the Quad Cities for conferences held there.

Rod and his wife Fiona accepting the award.

Kathy Wine, executive director, River Action, Inc., Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois received the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation's Hagie Heritage Award in Davenport, November 1, 2017. Kathy is one of the featured speaker at our upcoming conference in Yuma.

Kathy Wine

Terri Goodman, assistant City Manager of Dubuque, who nominated Kathy said of her: "Kathy Wine is a bold visionary and tenacious leader who invites the community to embrace the Mississippi River and its habitat by creating options for residents and visitors alike to touch the mighty Mississippi through bike trails, interpretative centers, reclamation of natural spaces, public design practices, art, education and economics,"  Wine and River Action’s work to connect the Quad Cities community to the Mississippi River promotes improved water quality and environmental education. They've done a variety of projects, including their initial start lighting the Centennial Bridge that connects the downtowns of Davenport to Rock Island, Illinois. Kathy has worked tirelessly on their "Retain the Rain Program," paving miles of riverfront trails for biking, financed water taxis for the river, helped to acquire Nahant's Marsh and organize the Upper Mississippi River Conference that helps to get high school and college students involved as well.

Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. Our friends at the Foundation under the leadership of our long-time supporter Arthur Ziegler are receiving a Richard P. Driehaus Preservation Award the the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual conference in Chicago. The jury recognized the foundation's strenuous efforts undertaking the Hamnett Place project in the Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania neighborhood whose deteriorated buildings have been revitalized to accommodate low-to-moderate income facilities. The neighborhood is also home to the rehabbed building that serves as a hub for wide-ranging educational programming. Visit PHLF.org for more information.

Arthur Ziegler

October 2017 Newsletter

Urban Waterfronts 33 January 25-27, 2018, Yuma Arizona

Plan to join us for this waterfront gathering. Full details and registration available on line HERE

Postcard from Seattle  Pike Place Market's Splendid New Addition

Quoting from the dust jacket of the book, The Pike Place Market: People, Politics, and Produce by Alice Shorett and Murray Morgan: "The market is Seattle's favorite institution. Annually it draws more people than do sporting events or cultural events or the movies. Among American markets, it has a reputation comparable to those of Les Halles in Paris and Covent Garden in London. The difference is that it has survived." This book published in 1982 is a remarkable history of the area but also the story of how people fought hard to save the market from urban renewal and succeeded. It can still be purchased through Amazon along with another called The Soul of the City by the same authors to mark the centennial of the market. A trip to Seattle always includes a trek to this fabulous and funky rabbit warren of a Market.       For those who have never been these photos will give a hint of the flavor of the beloved place including the famous fishmongers who throw the fish around and but one of the many fruit and vegetable stalls.

Pike Place Market

Our main reason for going this trip was to see the new addition first hand. Dubbed MarketFront, this $74 million addition has given residents and visitors - for the first time - a chance to step outside and relish the vistas of the Puget Sound and Elliot Bay with the mountains behind as well the new Ferris wheel on the waterfront. The addition was designed by Miller Hull of Seattle. Miller Hull won a 2004 Excellence on the Waterfront Honor Award for Northwest Maritime Demonstration Dock in Port Townsend. For more detailed information on the MarketFront see HERE.

MarketFront Top Deck      The big metal piggy bank has long been a landmark of the Market. Shown below are the original sculpture as well as the new one. Obviously a popular photo op. There are slots to contribute to the Pike Place Market Foundation. And the little "hoofprints" memorialize donors.

Old Pig                                                                       New Pig                                                                      Along that same vein of paying tribute to contributors is a the very clever "Charm Fence." The circular charms shimmer, inscribed with donor names, shine and dance in the wind making delightful patterns on the paving.

Charm Fence

The top deck has a handsome glassed in area to house market stalls while affording gorgeous views. Wide steps along the front provide a great place to eat a sandwich or just enjoy the warm October sun as Dick is doing.

Top Deck Glassed In Area                               Dick Enjoying the Sun     Enhancing the whole experience is a rooftop garden with a variety of grasses and plants.

Rooftop Garden                                                   Rooftop Planting      Murals celebrating the fruits and veggies add a whimsical, colorful touch.

Roofto p Murals                                                   Mural Details      The new addition as seen from two vantage points. One showing the old neon signage and shelter on the street and the other shows entrance to parking garage with 300 new spaces.

Old Neon Sign                                    Entrance to Parking Garage          First Hand News from Detroit

This news just in from our board member and Detroit boosterHarriet Saperstein. Rather than paraphrase I quote her here.        "On October 16, Detroit REAL (Riverfront East Alliance)"closed out" its organization, by using their remaining bank-account funds to make a contribution to the Riverfront Conservancy, and in turn they have posted a permanent plaque on a tree along the Riverwalk.

Since REAL won a well-deserved Clearwater Award in 2003 from the Waterfront Center, I thought you might want to know about this closure and this very brief update on some of the activities underway. I do not think we would be where we are today without REAL's community organizing and support."       Pictured below are Carol Weisfeld and Dan Wiest and a group photo including Harriet (in the red shirt) and her husband Al in the red hat.

Carol Weisfeld and Dan Wiest                                      REAL Group Photo                     "Just a few of those involved in the early days could attend, but two of the crucial founding members, Carol Weisfeld and Dan Wiest, had prepared some materials and brought a bit of sparkling cider to toast and say farewell to the project, and to celebrate its success. We do not have casinos on the riverfront; we do have an effective responsive public/private Detroit Riverfront Conservancy; Milliken State Park (expanding and improving St. Aubin Park and Marina) is in place and may be expanding; the Dequindre Cut, a bicycle-pedestrian rail/trail conversion now connects the Riverfront to Eastern Market all the way to Mack Avenue (with hopes that it will go further); Lafayette Park's Miles van der Rohe housing is protected as a Historic District; extensive new housing is underway in the East Riverfront area! In addition, plans with extensive community input are underway for further park connections eastward to Belle Isle, (including a "Beach"), and (at last!) new possibilities for controlled and responsible community oriented developments are being planned for the West Riverfront, now that the massive Newspaper "printing plant" is gone!"       Note that the the Detroit Conservancy won an Honor Award in 2015 from the Waterfront Center.

EXCELLENCE ON THE WATERFRONT AWARDS DEADLINE JULY 16, 2018 Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York will be the jury chair. Details and entry forms will be posted on the Website later this year.

Mid August 2017 Newsletter

Program and Speakers Finalized   September 8 Awards Ceremony and Mini-Conference

The Waterfront Center’s 30th Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Conference, Ceremony, Reception and Gala Dinner Friday, September 8, 2017

Awards Conference The Churchill Hotel , 1914 Connecticut Ave. NW

Gala Dinner, 2101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Program

1:00 Registration 1:30 Welcome Remarks  1: 45 Demonstration of the Excellence on the Waterfront Interactive Database         Stewart McKenzie, Webmeister, The Waterfront Center 2:00 About Urban Waterfronts 2018, the Center’s 33rd Annual International Conference in Yuma, Arizona   2:30 Announcement of 2017 Excellence on the Waterfront Honor Awards with presentations by the winners about their projects.         William Wenk, principal, William Wenk Associates, Denver, Colorado, jury chair presiding  2017 Awards and Presenters

Clearwater Citizen Award

• Mike Houck, executive director, Urban Greenspace Institute, Portland, Oregon. Presenting: Steve Durrant, Alta Planning + Design, Portland, Oregon

Honor Awards - Projects

• Infra-Space 1, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presenting:  Dan Adams, Landing Studio, Somerville, Massachusetts • Light City, Baltimore, Maryland.  Presenting:  Ashley Molese and Kathy Hornig, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts  • Old Mill District, Bend, Oregon. Bend Presentng:  Carol Mayer-Reed, Mayer-Reed Inc., Portland, Oregon • Point State Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Presenting:  Marion Pressley, Pressley Associates Inc., Boston, Massachusetts  • Principal Riverwalk Pavilion, Des Moines, Iowa.  Invited: Pam Cooksey, City of Des Moines Engineering Department, Des Moines, Iowa • Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Bridge, Fort Worth, Texas  Presenting: Nadia Westcott, Rosales + Partners,  Boston, Massachusetts

Honor Awards - Plans

• Master Plan for the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park.   Presenting:  Cal Brook, Brook McIlroy, Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Tar River Legacy Plan, Greenville. North Carolina.   Presenting: Ron Sessoms, Rhodeside & Harwell, Alexandria

TOP HONOR - PROJECT

• Big River Crossing, Memphis, Tennessee Presenting: Virginia McLean, Friends For Our Riverfront and Representative Steve Cohen, Memphis, Tennessee 6:30    Champagne Reception 8:00     Gala Dinner honoring the 2017 Winners and the 30th Anniversary of the Awards Program

ANNOUNCING URBAN WATERFRONTS 2018

The 33rd International Conference on Waterfront Planning Development and Culture

January 25-27, 2018, Yuma, Arizona, Hilton Gardens Hotel

Preconference Workshop – Thursday January 25 Conference – January 26-27 Sponorsored by The Waterfront Center And Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area

Early August 2017 Newsletter

Announcing the 2017 Award Winners!     The Waterfront Center is pleased to announce the winners of the 30th Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Awards program. As usual there is a range of geography and type of project. We are looking forward to an exciting awards ceremony and program at the Churchill Hotel in Washington, D.C. Visit HERE for more information and sign-up forms.      CAPE MAY, New Jersey – The 2017 ‘EXCELLENCE ON THE WATERFRONT’ awards program, organized by the non-profit Waterfront Center of Washington, District of Columbia., for the past 30 years, recognized seven built projects and two plans. The jury, led by  Bill Wenk of Wenk Associates, Denver, Colorado, met for a day-and-a-half at Congress Hall in this seaside resort.     Winners will be recognized at an Awards Ceremony on September 8 in Washington, District of Columbia, followed by a reception and dinner. Each entrant will be given 20 minutes to describe their entry, usually with a power point illustration.   BIG RIVER CROSSING’ IN MEMPHIS RECEIVES 2017 TOP HONOR AWARD  • Big River Crossing, submitted by Friends of Our River, Memphis, Tennessee. Entrant: Charles McVean, McVean Trading and Investments LLC, and co-entrant, Harry Pratt, Allen & Hosall, both Memphis. Owner/developer Robert Knecht, City of Memphis, and Paul Luker, Crittenden County,  Arkansas. Honor Awards/Projects in alphabetical order. • Infra-Space 1, Boston, Massachusetts. Submitted by Dan Adams and Marie Law Adams, Landing Studio, Somerville, Massachusetts., and Robin Blatt-Eisengart, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Boston. • Light City, Baltimore, Maryland. Submitted by Ashley Molese, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and Bill Cole, Baltimore Development Corporation, both Baltimore. • Old Mill District, Bend, Oregon. Submitted by Bill Smith, Old Mill District, Bend, and Carol Mayer-Reed, Mayer-Reed Inc., Portland, both Oregon. • Point State Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Submitted by Marion Pressley, Pressley Associates Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, and John P. Jaskolka, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,  Prospect, Pennsylvania. • Principal Riverwalk Pavilion, Des Moines, Iowa. Submitted by Paul Mankins, substancearchitecture (cq), and Pam Cooksey, City of Des Moines Engineering Department, both Des Moines, Iowa. • Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Bridge, Fort Worth, Texas, Submitted by Miguel Rosales, Rosales + Partners,  Boston, Massachusetts., and Stacey Pierce, Streams and Valleys, Fort Worth, Texas. Honor Awards/Plans, in alphabetical order  • Master Plan for the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park.  Submitted by Cal Brook, Brook McIlroy, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Stirling L. W. Todd, The Regional Municipality of Halton, Oakville, Ontario, Canada • Tar River Legacy Plan, Greenville. North Carolina.  Submitted by Ron Sessoms, Rhodeside & Harwell, Alexandria, Lamarco Morrison, City of Greenville Recreation and Parks, Greenville, North Carolina.                                                            Clearwater Award • Mike Houck, Urban Green Spaces Institute, Portland, Oregon

2017 Jury

• Bill Wenk,  principal, Wenk Associates, Denver, Colorado. • Thomas Corcoran, president (retired), Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. • Phillip Musegass, vice president, programs and litigation, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, Washington, District of Columbia • Donna Walcavage, principal, Stantec, New York, New York • Michael Zaleski, president and CEO, Riverfront Recapture Inc., Hartford, Connecticut.

Urban Waterfronts 2018: Water: The Defining Force – Challenges for the 21st Century 33rd Annual International Conference on Urban Waterfront Planning January 25 -27, 2018 Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center Yuma, Arizona

We are working full speed ahead with our colleagues in Yuma to put together a dynamite Urban Waterfront 2018, the 33rd gathering of those involved in waterfront work. A printed brochure will be mailed in early September and more detailed information will be posted on both the Waterfront Center's and Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area's web sites soon thereafter.

July 2017 Newsletter

The Waterfront Center  30th Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and Reception  Friday, September 8, 2017 1:30 – 7:00 p.m. The Churchill Hotel 1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.

Friday afternoon attendees at the mini-conference will hear presentations by the 2017 award winners. The winners will be announced on the Center’s web site in August and the list of speakers posted. They will receive their awards and be feted at a champagne reception at 6:00 p.m. Bill Wenk, Wenk Associates, Denver, Colorado, this year’s jury chair, will preside. Fee will include conference attendance and the reception.

Gala Dinner Honoring the 2017 Winners  and Celebrating the 30th  Anniversary of the Awards Program 7:30 p.m. 2101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

The Optional Gala Dinner, always a convivial evening will include a delicious multi-course meal with wine and champagne toasts.

Sign up form for the Mini-Conference and Gala Dinner found HERE Sign up form for the Mini-Conference, Gala Dinner, Publicity, and Donation found HERE

Leaf Litter:"Restoring Ecology on the Urban Waterfront"

Leaf Litter, the electronic newsletter produced by the firm Biohabitats  has just published a must read issue for anyone involved in waterfront planning, development and culture. The newsletter can be seen HERE.

The issue is chock full of ideas about sustainability and the public realm along the water's edge and is amply and  beautifully illustrated. (The entire issue is full of good information but most interesting for our readers will probably be the the case examples which include extensive information.)

The Waterfront Seattle Program including the very innovative Seawall Project and shoreline walkways.

Seattle Seawall transparent panels in walkway Allow light to pass to water below

Seattle Shoreline Walkway Seattle Shoreline Walkway

Toronto's waterfront efforts including storm water and shoreline restoration efforts including the handsome WaveDecks that take people out over the water and created fish habitats using root ball, logs and other shelter producing materials.

Toronto Waterfront Wavedeck Toronto Waterfront Wavedeck

Baltimore has never rested on its laurels and has made great ecological strides through the installation of floating wetlands, upgrading the Aquarium's campus, including introduction of underwater habitats, Biohuts. And of course there is the Excellence on the Waterfront top honor winner, the Water Wheel.

Baltimore Floating Wetlands Baltimore Floating Wetlands

Detroit continues its decades-old efforts to reclaim the riverfront (Excellence on the Waterfront award-winner in 2014. In keeping with the other cities described above, the city has joined the resiliency bandwagon and is restoring riparian wetlands, installing soft shoreline, reclaiming wetlands and provided public realm.

Detroit Waterfront Restoration Detroit Milliken State Park

Ann Breen was approached by editor, Amy Nelson, and had a delightful morning being interviewed by her. She generously profiled the Center and our work. Part of this profile discusses our upcoming conference in Yuma see below.

See the Waterfront Center profile HERE

Urban Waterfronts 2018 The 33rd Annual International Conference on Waterfront Planning, Development and Culture

sponsored by The Waterfront Center and Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area January 27-29, 2018 Yuma, Arizona

Not your everyday waterfront conference venue as some have noted, but we are very excited about gathering the waterfront world  in Yuma at the Hilton Gardens Inn and Pivot Point Conference Center hard by the Colorado River.      We are busy assembling our speakers for two concurrent panels that will run Friday and Saturday morning.  The conference will be bookended by keynote speakers and we will conclude Friday afternoon with a taste of the Excellence on the Waterfront Award Winners.      A pre-conference event will start on Wednesday evening with a get-acquainted dinner in a converted, historic church and Thursdays offerings include: Briefing and Walking Tour of  Gateway Park and the Yuma East Wetlands, a 400-acre wetlands restoration which is considered a model for restoration in the desert Southwest; a Tour of the Yuma West Wetlands, a 110-acre riverfront park converted from the City’s landfill! and a visit to the Imperial Dam, an engineering marvel where nearly 90% of the remaining water in the Colorado River is diverted, mostly to California.     Details and registration will be placed on our website in the near future.

June 2017 Newsletter

June 30, 2017 -  Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Deadline

Three Weeks to Go!!!     Still plenty of time to get your entry or re-entry in the mail. Go to our website HERE to download the forms.      Award recipients are recognized on our website in several ways including the interactive database that now features 400+ winners - a waterfront researchers dream tool.      Winners are featured in an attractive, illustrated booklet, in press releases and honored at the half-day mini-conference, September 8 and a gala dinner that evening. See below for information and sign up.    Many of our winners get picked up in magazines and newspapers. Of note in the May 2017 Landscape Architecture Magazine is a major feature on 2012 top honor winner: Jellicoe Street North Waterfront Promenade and Silo Park by Gweneth Leigh (pp 89-105).

Jellicoe Street, North Wharf Promenade and Silo Park

The Baltimore Trash Eater

On the lighter side, the cartoon "Arctic Circle" by Alex Hallett depicts our 2015 distinctive top honor winner: Baltimore's Water Wheel.

Baltimore's Water Wheel, 2015 top honor winner                                              Alex Hallatt's cartoon published in the Boston Globe

The Waterfront Center 30th Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and Reception

Friday, September 8, 2017 1:30 – 7:00 p.m. The Churchill Hotel 1914 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, D.C.     Friday afternoon attendees at the mini-conference will hear presentations by the 2017 award winners. The winners will be announced on the Center’s web site in August and the list of speakers posted. They will receive their awards and be feted at a champagne reception at 6:00 p.m. Bill Wenk, principal, Wenk Associates, Inc., Denver, Colorado, this year’s jury chair, will preside. Fee includes conference attendance and the reception. Gala Dinner Honoring the 2017 Winners and Celebrating the Center’s 30th Awards Program   7:30 p.m. 2101 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, D.C.     The Optional Gala Dinner, a festive evening of meeting up with old friends and making new ones, will include a delicious multi-course meal with wine and champagne toasts. The event takes place in an historic apartment building built in 1928, within a very short walk from the Churchill Hotel.

Sign up form for the Mini-Conference, Awards Ceremony and Reception can be found HERE.

May 2017 Newsletter

Waterfront Center Celebrates 36th Birthday and the 30th Annual Awards Program 33rd Annual International Conference     The Waterfront Center was founded on May 1, 1981, almost 4 decades ago and we pause to thank everyone who has supported us over all these years. Plus we want to also acknowledge the people from all over the globe we have met at our conferences and in our consulting practice. We hope many of you will join us in Yuma, Arizona for our 33rd international conference on waterfront planning, development and culture, January 25-27, 2018. Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area is the co-sponsor.

Urban Waterfronts 33: WATER: The Defining Force - Challenges for the 21st Century will be headquartered at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center. A block of rooms has been set aside at the rate of $139. The hotel overlooks the Colorado River and has a pool. An optional all-day pre-conference workshop will  also be offered Thursday January 25.

The Excellence on Waterfront Awards Program was initiated in 1987 to recognize top quality waterfront projects and plans. This year's ceremony/mini-conference, reception and gala dinner will take place September 8 at the Churchill Hotel in Washington, D.C. Details will soon be featured on the website. We will plan a special gala in honor of the program's 30th anniversary.

The deadline for submittals: postmarked June 30, 2017

Websites of Note

Recently on Planetizen's site I noted a job opening of possible interest to waterfront folk: Director of Planning at Boston Harbor Now. (employment@bostonharbornow.org). Boston Harbor Now is a relatively new non-profit bringing together two long-standing non-profits: Boston Harbor Islands and The Boston Harbor Association. Kathy Abbott is the executive director. Their address is 15 State Street, #1100 Boston, Mass. 02109.

Interested in city news? Check out newsletter@nextcity.org and you'll find lots of tidbits.

Waterfront Center Board Member News

David Benn sent this along: The partners and principals of Cho Benn Holback + Associates are pleased to announce that we are joining the acclaimed architectural firm of QuinnEvans Architects, effective May 1. Established in 1984, Quinn Evans is known for its award-winning civic, cultural, educational, and commercial building portfolio, with particular expertise in historic preservation and community revitalization. CBH+A will operate as Cho Benn Holback, a Quinn Evans Company, and we will remain in our N. Charles Street office.

Fran Hegeler has joined SWA Group as corporate director of marketing and communications in their Bay Area office. Fran has served on our board from when she worked for Wallace Roberts and Todd in Philadelphia and later when she joined AECOM in San Francisco. She can be reached at fhegeler@swagroup.org.

Al Copp and Dick Wagner - in Memoriam

I am sad to report the waterfront world has lost two more stalwarts. We honor their lengthy careers dedicated to waterfronts.

Al Copp

Al Copp  was a major figure with a distinguished waterfront career in Baltimore working as a planner and president of the Charles Center-Inner Harbor Corporation.More recently he was a serious winemaker. His wife, Laurie Schwarz, is head of the Waterfront Partnership and was on hand to get the top honor for the Water Wheel. See obituary HERE

Dick Wagner

Dick Wagner, founder of the Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union in Seattle, was a real pioneer in maritime education and wooden boats - their use and the craft of building them. The Center's educational programming was far-reaching.  See Dick's obituary HERE. He and his wife received a well-deserved Clearwater Award. Go HERE and enter Wooden Boats into the search box for more detail.

Late April 2017 Newsletter

Important Marches Coming Up

Saturday, April 22 Earth Day and March for Science Saturday, April 29, People's Climate March

Earth Day and March for Science are joining forces for events all around the country. We are hoping many of you will turn out in your community/region or here in Washington where a  monumental crowd could well assemble.      We received notice from the Environmental Defense Fund and the Adirondack Council to join them on April 29. To register visit: edf.org/climatemarch or call 800 684 3322. Looks like there will be events not just in Washington but throughout the country.

BOSTON - Plans Afoot for "Jawdropping Park"

Our good friend Charlotte DeWitt from Boston sent us this link about plans for major new public space around the harbor. Boston was one of the early pioneers in the waterfront phenomenon and they just keep on rolling on. A non-profit group Trustees of the Reservations plans to spearhead this ambitious project.

BALTIMORE - Light City

Baltimore, another of those pioneering waterfront cities, just staged a nine-day Festival of Light, Music and Innovation (March 31-April 8). So when the aforesaid Charlotte emailed that she wanted us join her in Charm City to experience the festival, how could we resist.

Charlotte DeWitt

BALTIMORE - Light City

We were only able to get a very small taste of this highly ambitious event now in its second year. Commissioned artworks by artists from around the world could be found mostly along the ART WALK around and near the Inner Harbor. Of course there was food, drink, music, stuff for children, educational programming and loads and loads of people. The real magic begins as darkness falls and the interplay of light and water comes fully to life. However pieces like this one installed around the pedestrian bridge between the Piers 3 & 4 by Belgian artist Tom Dekyvere using illuminated nylon fabric was awesome even in daylight, but after dark it was spellbinding especially with the music accompaniment. It reminded me of "cat's cradle" (remember that childhood game?) on steroids.

String sculpture by Belgian artist Tom Dekyvere

Light Boats

'NEW WATER MUSIC' Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana

Ever ones to try a little waterfront adventure --  when we spotted a notice of a "nautical visual presentation" of composer Yotam Haber's "New Water Music" to occur Saturday evening April 8 we ventured to an area of New Orleans we had never been to. Thousands were on hand to witness the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and hundreds of musicians perched on a flag-bedecked rusting old barge and several tents along the shoreline play the haunting piece. Lots of flags, headdresses, colorful sashes and costumes rounded out the scene.

One of the many musicians arrives for the performance

Orchestra leader conducts from a perch high above the water

Decorated shrimp boats were hired to perform a "ballet."

Part of the Shrimp Boat Ballet

The non-profit New Orleans Airlift artistic director Delaney Martin oversaw this unusual production.      An intriguing installation of fishing nets hanging from the underside of an overhead highway provided visual interest plus play space for kids and backdrops for selfies.

Ghosts

A number of exhibits were set up by non-profit groups involved in coastal/environmental/working waterfront issues. Nearby food trucks and bar were jammed. Our only quibble with this truly unusual undertaking was that the crowds were partying (hey its New Orleans) a bit much, drowning out the ability to really hear the music as we imagine it was meant to be heard. We only hope the event was recorded and could be played on a big screen somewhere.      Not sure what King George I who commissioned Handel's Water Music would have thought or whether the folks who flocked to the banks of Thames in 1717 were rowdy as well.

EXCELLENCE ON THE WATERFRONT AWARDS DEADLINE JUNE 30, 2017

See HERE for details and entry forms