Start with promenading at its best then add others by order of their impact
Stockholm
Promenade with historic boats and restaurants
Only historic boats are allowed to berth on the promenade part of Stockholm's waterfront, meaning that it is always a visual delight.
Takeaway: Connect with other destinations
Stockholm's waterfront is full of restaurants and is uniquely well-connected, with esplanades leading to other beloved public spaces like the Kungsträdgården.
Stockholm's Durgarten Grunalund Amusement Park is also situated right along the water and provides a high-energy activity hub.
Benchmark: San Francisco, California
San Francisco's waterfront sits along the entire city that is very deep and has developed a series of piers and a strong waterfront promenade. These connect with strong inland activity centers that connect into neighborhoods. Altogether, this gives nearby neighborhoods opportunities to engage with and build off of the historic waterfront: a distinction that few other waterfronts have.
San Francisco's waterfronts are a hub, off of which community activity has continued to grow.
Pier 39
San Francisco's Pier 39 has an abundance of activity, ranging from its aquarium to a carousel, whale tours to encounters with local sea lions.
Connecting with nearby neighborhoods
The activities taking place along the water in San Francisco reach up into the neighborhoods, showing a remarkable sense of connectedness.
Benchmark: London's South Bank
Clusters of food trucks and destinations like Gabriel's Wharf and Borough Market make London's South Bank a uniquely exciting destination.
Gabriel's Wharf
Incubation Hub for Small Businesses
Because of its support for small businesses, Gabriel's Wharf is a dynamic spot, filled with artists and independent clothing artisans. It is also right nearby to a line of international food trucks, which link up to create an exciting space.
Food Truck Market
Borough Market
Borough Market is a delight for the senses, and has been for centuries. Along the South Bank Waterfront in London, this is the place to be if you're looking for fresh food. The market is well-connected and boasts a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces (inside the Market Hall and out). Borough Market is one of the most visited destinations in London, and a major attraction along the South Bank.
Intensity of Engagement between people and products is intense
Miami Beach, Florida
With Art Deco buildings lining Ocean Drive on one side, and a park and extensive beach on the other, streets in Miami Beach are not about traffic, but about experiencing the "show" and enjoying the sights. Most buildings have porches to view the passing throngs of visitors.
Miami Beach is a "classic" unlike any other waterfront.
Paris Plage - New Waterfront Destination
The Paris Plage has quickly become the world's best waterfront through "Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper", program driven activations
Once a street (see left photo), the bank of the Seine was transformed into a bustling public space. At right, a photo of what the same stretch of waterfront is like today.
In 2002, Paris initiated a project called the Paris Plage on the Right Bank of the Seine River. Since then, its chain of open-air activities and beach-like spaces has only grown, extending to the Left Bank, and stretching from the Musee D'Orsay South toward the Eiffel Tower in what became called Les Berges.
In this case, Paris went beyond anyone's expectations by redistributing street space on the high-speed roads that once ran along the Seine on two levels (6 to 8 lanes of traffic). This space was repurposed into wider sidewalks and bike lanes. It is one of the most miraculous public space transformations we have ever seen.
Takeaway: Iconic Places
The Paris Plage is a series of destinations that all focus on creating an iconic place, not on fancy designs. A sandy beach and pop-up restaurants changed the whole feel of the Seine—at first during the summer months, but now all year thanks to a permanent promenade and play areas. Numerous family-friendly activities today make the river seem like a zipper, uniting the Left and Right Banks.
The Entire Waterfront on both sides of the Seine are Multi-Use Destinations
In Paris, a series of mini-destinations along the Seine, each with their own distinct identity, gives people a reason to stay, play, and recreate. The Paris Plage enhances social life through smart use and placement of seating, cafes, public art, games, and shade. It also has a feeling of inclusiveness, in which everyone has a sense of ownership.
Just a few of the many fun things to do, up and down the Seine.
Library Reading Rooms and Museum exhibits are often a part of the attraction.
Pop-Up Waterside Restaurants
Up and down the river from Notre Dame Cathedral, the riverfront has been animated by seasonal restaurants, cafes, and bars that keep the festivities going into the early hours of the morning. The cafe structures are relatively simple to construct and afford ample opportunity for people to stop and engage in the social scene.
A diverse selection of dining spots attracts crowds eager to sample the creativity of Paris's chefs.
Public Art is a major Attraction
Paris's use of public art creates opportunities for surprise, creative engagement, and new uses of previously empty public spaces. Interactive pieces like a giant chalkboard also encourage everyone to participate in the collective co-creation of the space.
Art is an important element, all the way from Musee d'Orsay and Les Berges extending toward the Eiffel Tower.
Seating is Everywhere
Put a good bench in a public space, and people will find unique ways to sit, lay, nap, sunbathe, and chat on it. The benches along the Paris waterfront are not only well-placed, but also feature interesting designs, which encourage creative uses and accommodate many people.
Seating is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to activate a space and is one of the most clear-cut ways to follow Paris's lead. It always helps when there are activities, sights, and people to look at while sitting down.
This new seating was an immediate success, offering people many creative ways to make themselves comfortable.
Waterfront Public Space Serve that Everyone
Paris has done a wonderful job of extending its waterfront activations (e.g. at Basin de la Villette) from the city center to outlying neighborhoods, a process made possible with active waterfronts that connect to the Seine. How? By focusing on activities that attract people of all ages and backgrounds: swimming, water sports, dancing, table games, and of course, great seating.
New playgrounds, exhibits and games along the canal attract many residents from the diverse neighborhoods nearby.
Led by Programming and Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper
The Paris waterfront was empty until recently; its current popularity made possible through a series of "lighter, quicker, cheaper" interventions. These interventions include things like pop-ups, which were brought into the space on an incredibly quick timeline. It has brought together both the Right and Left Banks, helping them to connect rather than letting the river become a divider.
Porto's Historic Old Town:
Inspiration for Doing Density Right
Porto, Portugal's second largest city, straddles the Douro River near where it merges into the Atlantic Ocean. The waterfront is gloriously historic. It's easy to imagine what life was like here 150 years ago. The sheer pleasure that arises strolling these streets explains why Porto has become a pilgrimage site for city-loving travelers.
Porto's riverfront fosters activity all year around. Streets cascade down from hilltops to the riverside promenade, which is fronted by cafes, shops and public seating that encourages people to to linger. This district is recognized internationally for bustling public spaces that stretch over a wide geographical footprint, enlivened by three entry points funneling people into every section of the promenade. The rich interplay of all these elements adds up to one of the world's top waterfronts.
Public spaces overlook the water from various vantage points, giving Porto's waterfront the dynamic feel of an amphitheater.
The old town is dotted with small cafes and food kiosks offering refreshment and relaxation.
Plentiful public seating sets the stage for some of the best people-watching in Europe. A near-perfect waterside promenade accommodates two streams of passing pedestrians—one looking out on the water, the other checking out what's happening at outdoor cafes.
A Summary of Takeaways:
The overall idea/finding is that programmed spaces far excel in creating the activity that draws people from every walk of life.
- Connect with nearby neighborhoods
- Make room to incubate businesses
- Iterate and Experiment
- Create iconic places
- Focus on multi-use destinations
- Bring in pop-up restaurants and cafes
- Incorporate public art
- Create seating for people
- Make the space serve everyone
- Think Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper
- Make room to incubate businesses
- Think Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper
- Connect with other destinations
- Build on the success of other key public spaces and destinations in San Diego
Other Resources for Waterfronts:
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Fred Kent
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