Vision
THE VISION FOR WATERFRONT SYNOPSIS
June 21, 2010
“Waterfront Synopsis” is an international gathering around the topic of “Placemaking
and Sustainability” on waterfronts hosted by Project for Public Spaces, Inc. (PPS) and the Nordic Urban Design
Association (NUDA) in Stavanger, Norway on September 15-17, 2010.
The goal of the Synopsis is to bring the forces of environmentalism, climate
change and sustainability together with the ideas of community, livability, health
and Placemaking. There are many new ways of realizing a different future as the
impact of “Place” and “Placemaking” take hold in cities around the world. For
more and more people, Placemaking is being viewed as a transformative agenda for
creating changes in how government is structured, how communities are engaged,
how new processes around civic engagement are developed, and how professionals
can be repositioned as leaders in these important times.
Why Norway?
Norway is one of the world leaders today in determining how to assess, develop
and improve cities so that they provide sustainable assets for their citizens
in the future. The “Future Cities Program” currently being undertaken by the Ministry
of Environment in Norway has the potential to provide a replicable model for connecting
cities, governments and people around sustainable development models.
Stavanger is one of the best waterfront cities in the world. This setting, along
with Norway’s vision and the idea of Placemaking, could make the Waterfront Synopsis
the beginning of a major shift in the way we view waterfronts and communities
in the future. It will be an opportunity to connect agendas for the first time
and will give leaders from all over the world the opportunity to both learn from
and inspire others.
Why NUDA?
NUDA’s goal is to provide a setting in which the challenges involved in undertaking
waterfront development are presented and discussed candidly so that the international
audience can learn from others experiencing similar challenges on waterfront development. NUDA advocates for an understanding of urban design as more than just designing
streets and public spaces through traditional design principles.
Why PPS?
For the last 35 years, PPS has been committed to facilitating the development
of successful public spaces in cities throughout the world. Although waterfronts are one of the most important public spaces in cities,
the majority of leaders have not yet been able to raise the discussion about waterfront
development to a level where new models are being considered and implemented based on the community’s vision. If Placemaking was truly integrated
into waterfront planning processes, citizens throughout the world would be equipped
and empowered in ways that are natural, traditional, and time-honored – the way
that communities organized themselves historically in cities around the world
before the 1850’s.
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