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Land, Water & Science
Community-driven riverfront revitalization often has a strong component of environmental restoration, as well as urban planning and design strategies that bring the city and the river together. Some of these efforts are driven by policies governing the appropriate mix of land uses in a river corridor and design guidelines that may be incorporated into municipal zoning codes. In other instances, private sector groups, whether for-profit firms or nonprofits, take the lead in programs that revegetate urban corridors.
Environmental Strategies
Riverfront communities are increasingly realizing that community and economic development goals are furthered by a deliberate program of environmental restoration. Rather than pitting development vs. nature, these organizations and programs recognize that a "green" riverfront is attractive for new residential development, as well as a destination where visitors and residents can enjoy new restaurants, museums and parks.
Urban Planning/Design
Innovations in urban planning and design have often pointed the way for communities to enhance their riverfronts. Some of these innovations have explored the dynamic relationship between an urban river stretch and its watershed. Others have brought together traditional urban planning concerns such as affordable housing and alleviation of poverty with the physical challenges of reinvigorating an obsolete riverfront.
