Activating the coastal space of the waterfront city

The waterfront area serves as an active development area for waterfront cities. Throughout the ages, it has undergone development processes such as boom, prosperity, decline and revival. During the dominant period, the main function of the urban waterfront area was to provide for the construction and development of urban industries. It provided development opportunities for urban development. However, along with the rapid development of urbanization, the adjustment and upgrading of the urban industrial structure has caused the industrial areas of the urban waterfront to gradually move from decay or abandonment. However, these areas have distinctive characteristics of the industrial era and carry the memory of industrial civilization. They are of great value for renewal and reuse.

Waterfront public space development

The waterfront is the most ecologically sensitive area of the city. It can involve issues such as shipping, shoreline ecology, water reserves, vegetation protection and flood prevention. Redeveloping areas with contemporary characteristics can reveal a city’s historical and cultural connotations. The development of a tourist and leisure industry promotes the integrated development of the city, thus achieving a corresponding economic value. Create the waterfront as an important place for public activities for the city’s inhabitants.
The development of public spaces in areas with historical and cultural significance has several advantages for cities in terms of building their urban image：

1.  Promoting sustainable urban development: Waterfront public space can improve the quality of the ecological environment of cities and promote sustainable urban development. In the process of urbanization, waterfront public space can become an important part of the urban green space system, providing functions such as air purification, water resource regulation and ecological protection, while meeting the needs of the public for leisure, recreation and cultural activities.
   
   (fig1: Riverfront green space https://www.gooood.cn/public-space-of-yangpu-riverfront-south-section-phase-ii-china-by-daguan-landscape-design.htm)
2.   Enrich public leisure and recreation space: Waterfront public space can provide diverse leisure and recreation space for the public, such as walking, running and boating, enabling the public to enjoy both nature and the city.
   
   (Fig2:Preservation of historic buildings https://www.gooood.cn/public-space-of-yangpu-riverfront-south-section-phase-ii-china-by-daguan-landscape-design.htm)

   
   (Fig3:Public event space https://www.gooood.cn/public-space-of-yangpu-riverfront-south-section-phase-ii-china-by-daguan-landscape-design.htm)

3. Promoting social integration: The waterfront public space is a place where different social groups can meet and interact, helping to promote social integration and multicultural exchange.
   (Fig4: Coastal leisure space https://www.gooood.cn/public-space-of-yangpu-riverfront-south-section-phase-ii-china-by-daguan-landscape-design.htm)
   
   (Fig5: Social space along the shore https://www.gooood.cn/public-space-of-yangpu-riverfront-south-section-phase-ii-china-by-daguan-landscape-design.htm)
4. Protect and improve the waterfront environment: The construction of waterfront public spaces can protect and improve the waterfront environment, reduce water pollution and natural ecological damage, and raise public awareness and consciousness of environmental protection and sustainable development.

Vision and Future

During my fieldwork, I found that in Newcastle, a place with a rich historical coastal industrial area, building a shared waterfront public space can promote sustainable urban development, enrich public recreational space, promote social integration, improve the image of the city, protect and improve the waterfront environment, and other roles, and at the same time, it is necessary to plan and design, build and maintain, promote public participation, enhance safety and security, and publicize and promote It is also necessary to improve public participation and satisfaction in terms of planning and design, construction and maintenance, promoting public participation, enhancing safety and security, and publicity and promotion, so as to create a safe, healthy and beautiful public space.

Reference

[1]Li Zhenshen, and Huang Ying. “Research on post-industrial landscape design based on urban catalyst theory——Analysis of waterfront public space in the south section of Shanghai Yangpu Waterfront.” Urban Architecture (2022).

[2]Qu Shaojie. “Study on the Development and Renewal Mechanism of Urban Waterfront Space.” Industrial Architecture 34.5 (2004): 30-33.