Waterfronts Cater to the Simpler Things in Life

By Kelly Novak

Sitting in a quaint, bayside café in Oakland, California, watching kids play in the Jack London square. Standing on the riverfront in Atchison, Kansas, with friends and dozens of families to watch Fourth of July fireworks drip from the sky over the Missouri River. It is the simple things in life like these that make the difference.

Just having a decent, healthy and functional waterfront where residents and visitors can sit down and enjoy a little rest and relaxation is becoming a redevelopment trend for American communities. They are recognizing the benefits of aiming for waterfront brownfield redevelopments that cater to the “simpler things in life,” as well as to the need for economic growth.

Waterfront redevelopment demand is driven by a combination of demographics, geography and economics. Demographically, nearly 50 percent of the U.S. population lives within a coastal zone and the coastal population is expected to increase by 28 million people by 2015, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). On the geographic and economic fronts, there are 34 U.S. states and territories that manage shoreline and some 360 commercial ports, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and American Association of Port Authorities.

Understandably, based on these facts alone, it is no wonder that healthy, community-friendly waterfront redevelopment is a growing phenomenon for large and small communities, both oceanside and along inland lakes, rivers, creeks and other bodies of water, despite the pressure to focus only on economic growth.

In the southeast region of Iowa, where the mighty Mississippi River divides Iowa from Illinois and the three small metropolitan cities of Keokuk, Fort Madison and Burlington border the river, the redevelopment of six brownfield sites is being pursued to enhance the waterfront. And interestingly enough, what started out as a mission to spur industrial economic growth on the waterfront has now blossomed into a mission to develop a growth strategy that includes green space and community-friendly waterfront areas.

The Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (Southeast Iowa RPC) applied for and received an EPA brownfield assessment grant in 2004. While still in the beginning stages, the six sites in the program have all had their first Phase I assessments, a community leadership task force has been established and community participation meetings are under way.

Andrea Chase and Brian Tapp, with the Southeast Iowa RPC, describe the growing community interest in the waterfront revitalization as “economically smart and magnetic.” Chase explains, “Since we have started having community planning meetings for the 80-acre waterfront site in Keokuk and the others, the private sector is now inquiring about how they can get into the program. And they are looking beyond just industrial growth. They are thinking parks, waterfront coffee shops and condos.”

Even though the combined populations of Ft. Madison, Keokuk and Burlington don’t add up to more than 49,000, these small but mighty communities are building on what they know works. They are:

Approaching their waterfront revitalization with a holistic attitude and including the community in the decision-making process.
Mindful of planning not only for commercial growth, but also making sure that the standard of living is considered a community asset.
Acting as a singular, cohesive regional riverfront community to redevelop their waterfront into a place where commerce can thrive and the simpler things in life can be enjoyed by the whole community. BFN

Kelly Novak is research manager at NADO Research Foundation in Washington, D.C.