Waterfronts are the founding source of urban development of major cities in our world. From its spectrum of roles as necessary working environments through economic, administrative and political, and to the recreational, civic and iconic, the changing priorities and competing physical demands on this most intriguing of urban geographic space is the subject of many past and present debates, research and planning endeavors.
In the same way that urban waterfronts in the historic cities of Europe and the Americas are subjected to the push and pull of decay, revitalization and repositioning the urban waterfronts of the Asian metropolises are faced with similar situations, questions and a range of possibilities in the pursuit of strategic directions. Urban waterfronts represent the most global front of the city (and the country) not the least in its physical form.
The public nature of the urban waterfront, its accessibility and function and relevant forms of intervention in planning, urban design and architectural domains is the focus of this workshop. The many intersections in contention within this threshold include sustainability, in urban nature retention, historical and heritage interface, reclamation and new insertions, and experiential reading of the evolving urban waterfront environment.
