A BALANCED EDGE: RE‐ENVISIONING THE URBAN WATERFRONT FOR COEXISTENCE OF INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC PLACE by NEENAH LOUISE HOPPE (Under the Direction of John F. Crowley) ABSTRACT This thesis examines urban waterfronts struggling to incorporate two increasing, but potentially conflicting land uses: public space and maritime industry. The Erie Basin area of Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, where promoting industry and public space along the waterfront are listed as a high priority, is used as a primary case study. A selection of international and local waterfront case studies is compared and analyzed. The intent is to identify ways to foster compatibility of these two uses, and to suggest how these scenarios can be adapted to Red Hook. The proposed applications imply how other municipal waterfronts facing a similar increase in pressure might move towards the coexistence of, rather than mutual exclusion between waterfront industry and public space. INDEX WORDS: Landscape Architecture, Urban Waterfront Development, Industry, Public Access, Red Hook, Brooklyn A BALANCED EDGE: RE‐ENVISIONING THE URBAN WATERFRONT FOR COEXISTENCE OF INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC PLACE by NEENAH LOUISE HOPPE B.S., The Pennsylvania State University, 2003 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2011 © 2011 Neenah Louise Hoppe All Rights Reserved A BALANCED EDGE: RE‐ENVISIONING THE URBAN WATERFRONT FOR COEXISTENCE OF INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC PLACE by NEENAH LOUISE HOPPE Major Professor: John F. Crowley Committee: Douglas M. Pardue Lara D. Mathes Jennifer M. Lewis Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2011 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks are in order for all who have aided me in ways known or unknown throughout my time at the University of Georgia and during the writing of this work. I am especially grateful to my advisor, Jack Crowley, for his patience and steady guidance throughout this process. I am thankful to Doug Pardue for his boundless energy and enthusiasm, his unconventional studio, which, in part, influenced the direction of this work, and for his committee chairmanship. Thank you also to Lara Mathes and Jennifer Martin Lewis for your participation and feedback as committee members. To Mom, Willie and Miss Kelsey, I cannot thank you enough for keeping me grounded and for your unending support and encouragement. I am also grateful to Donna Gabriel and Michael Sims for keeping us all on track, and to my friends, roommates, classmates, and professors for sharing this journey. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................. vii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 Current Relevance ................................................................................................. 1 Overview of Previous Research ............................................................................. 3 Overview of Research ............................................................................................ 5 2 HISTORIC PATTERNS AND NEW RELATIONSHIPS ......................................................... 8 Public Access .......................................................................................................... 8 Historic Overview of U.S. Shipping and Settlement ............................................ 14 General Pattern of Port Development ................................................................ 15 Water Dependent Industries and Efficiency ....................................................... 17 Shifting Economies .............................................................................................. 20 3 OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS ......................................................................... 23 Definitions and Suitability of Industries on the Waterfront ................................ 23 Environmental Hazards and Public Perception of Risk ........................................ 25 Activation and Safety through a Mix of Uses....................................................... 27 Zoning and Policy ................................................................................................. 28 vi Financing .............................................................................................................. 29 Profitability, Efficiency and Security .................................................................... 29 Meeting Neighborhood Needs ............................................................................ 31 Time and Character .............................................................................................. 32 4 CASE STUDIES ............................................................................................................. 37 Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. ................................................ 36 Port of Nagoya, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan ................................................ 46 Lower Don and Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ........................................ 53 Summary of Lessons and Strategies .................................................................... 62 5 APPLICATION TO ERIE BASIN AREA, RED HOOK, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK .................. 70 Study Area Introduction: New York City’s Waterfront Plan ................................ 70 Site Context .......................................................................................................... 72 Demographic and Socio‐economic Data .............................................................. 78 History and Inventory of Red Hook and Erie Basin Study Area ........................... 80 Introduction of IKEA ............................................................................................. 89 Suggested Approaches for Erie Basin .................................................................. 94 Primary Study Area Conclusion ....................................................................... 104 6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 106 Potential for Further Study ................................................................................ 110 WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................... 111 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................... 122 A More Futuristic Model .................................................................................... 122 vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Summary of Devices Used by Case Study Waterfronts .................................................... 63 viii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Waterfront Evolution. ..................................................................................................... 16 Figure 2: Growth of Container Traffic in the U.S. .......................................................................... 18 Figure 3: Specific CO2 Emissions per tonne‐km and per Mode of Transport in Europe ............... 19 Figure 4: Comparison of Fuel Efficiency ......................................................................................... 20 Figure 5: Dry Cargo Capacity Comparison ..................................................................................... 20 Figure 6: Modern and Classic Architecture Juxtaposed Along Shanghai's Bund ........................... 34 Figure 7: Historic and Modern at Opposite Ends of the Street. Tallinn, Estonia. .......................... 35 Figure 8: Figure‐Ground of Case Studies ....................................................................................... 36 Figure 9: Figure‐Ground of Selected Area of Brooklyn .................................................................. 37 Figure 10: Context Map of Brooklyn’s Relationship to Manhattan ............................................... 38 Figure 11: New York Community Districts ..................................................................................... 42 Figure 12: Land Use Map, Brooklyn Community District 2 ............................................................ 42 Figure 13: Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Plan ........................................................................ 44 Figure 14: Brooklyn Navy Yard Public Transportation Map ........................................................... 44 Figure 15: Figure‐Ground of the Port of Nagoya ........................................................................... 46 Figure 16: Arial View of Nagoya Garden Pier with Close‐Up of Observation Tower ..................... 48 Figure 17: Contextual Composite Map of Nagoya, Japan .............................................................. 48 Figure 18: Nagoya Subway and Rail Map ....................................................................................... 52 Figure 19: Figure‐Ground of Port Lands,