Waterfront Development: A Case Study of Dalian, China by Lina Dong A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Applied Environmental Studies in Local Economic Development - Tourism Policy and Planning Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2004 © Lina Dong 2004 I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Waterfront development has been an issue of wide concern and extensive discussion since the 1970s. This study provides more insight into the phenomenon by applying the existing knowledge to a different political and economic context. A “phased model” is proposed as a “prototype” of waterfront development. It analyzes waterfront development as a series of five temporal stages, i.e. pre-start-up, start-up, early development, mega projects and maturity. Each of the phases is characterized by the involvement of specific stakeholders, issues and events, and outcomes. A trend in the input of stakeholders is discerned: Trends in the inputs of three stakeholders, the municipal government, the special purpose agencies and the private sector, are discerned whereby initial government investments are complemented and eventually exceeded by investments from the private sector. Analyses of three sites in Dalian’s (in Northeast China) waterfront development suggest that all three sites fit appropriately into the phase model. This suggests the applicability of western theory to cases elsewhere in a different political and economic context. The hypothesis on the evolutionary trend of stakeholders’ inputs is tested, rendering generally confirmative results that: (1) the municipal government’s input followed a first increasing and then decreasing trend; (2) special purpose agencies’ input intensity showed a rising pattern, exceeding that of the municipal government in later phases; (3) The private sector was seldom involved in waterfront development until the mega projects phase but their investments rose sharply after that. Finally, applying criteria for success gleaned from the literature, the overall evaluation of Dalian’s waterfront development can be viewed as being a success. However, the seasonality of tourism, the lifecycle of tourism products and the insufficient respect paid to local residents’ interests are pointed out as possible deficiencies. iii Acknowledgements I owe my endless thanks to many people who have provided me with their support, encouragement, comfort and love throughout the whole process of my research and writing of the thesis. I would express my deepest appreciation to Dr. Geoffrey Wall, not only for his guidance and help in my research as a supervisor, but also for his consideration and care for students like a father. He has provided his kind help through the whole process of the research, from the very beginning of defining the research topic, to the very end of editing the wording of the thesis. I am grateful to my committee member, Dr. Mark Seasons, for his insightful comments and valuable suggestions on my research methods and thesis writing. I thank all the people, Dr. Wu, Mr. Geng and a number of masters students in Dalian University of Technology and all my interviewees for their assistance and help during my field study in Dalian. Without their help, it would have been impossible for me to get the sufficient data for my research. I thank my best friends in Waterloo, Mimi, Xiye, Real, Lei, Yao, Qiang, Feng and many other friends of mine for sharing the journey of studying here in Waterloo. I thank them all for the precious friendship, accompany, encouragement and trust they give me. I owe my special thanks to Mimi, who helped me a lot during my absence from school. I thank my dear parents and boyfriend. My thanks to them are always at the end but they are always the first ones who give me their unconditional support and help whenever needed. iv Tables of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................................iv Tables of Contents ................................................................................................................................v List of Figures ....................................................................................................................................viii List of Tables........................................................................................................................................xi Chapter 1 : Introduction......................................................................................................................1 1. 1 Background.............................................................................................................................1 1.1.1 Waterfront Development ....................................................................................................1 1.1.2 General Situation of Current Research............................................................................... 2 1.1.3 Study Area..........................................................................................................................3 1. 2 Statement of Research Questions ...........................................................................................5 1. 3 Thesis Framework .................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter 2 : Context Review.................................................................................................................7 2. 1 Waterfront and Waterfront Development...............................................................................7 2.1.1 What constitute a waterfront?.............................................................................................7 2.1.2 Waterfront development.....................................................................................................8 2.1.3 “Waterfront” and “Waterfront Development” in this Research ....................................... 10 2. 2 Waterfront Development: Issues, Trends and Principles .....................................................11 2.2.1 The waterfront story: prosperity, decline, regeneration and new success ........................ 11 2.2.2 Triggers and constraints to waterfront development ........................................................12 2.2.3 Concepts of waterfront development................................................................................ 14 2.2.4 Stakeholders in waterfront development ..........................................................................24 2.2.5 New trends and opportunities of waterfront development ............................................... 27 2.2.6 Principles of success......................................................................................................... 29 2. 3 Waterfront Development Research in China........................................................................33 2. 4 Summary...............................................................................................................................34 Chapter 3 : Analytical framework of waterfront development...................................................... 36 3. 1 A Model of Waterfront Development: A Phased Approach................................................. 36 3.1.1 What is and Why a “Phased Approach”? ......................................................................... 36 v 3.1.2 The Phase Model of Waterfront Development.................................................................37 3.1.3 Phases in the Waterfront Development Process ............................................................... 41 3.1.4 “Indicators” of success ..................................................................................................... 46 3. 2 A trend of stakeholders’ input ..............................................................................................47 3. 3 Summary...............................................................................................................................49 Chapter 4 : Methodology ...................................................................................................................50 4. 1 Research Design ................................................................................................................... 50 4.1.1 The selection of study area and sites ................................................................................50 4.1.2 Time frame of the research...............................................................................................52 4. 2 Methodology......................................................................................................................... 52 4.2.1 Case Study........................................................................................................................ 53 4. 3 Data Sources.........................................................................................................................57 4. 4 Summary...............................................................................................................................58