ABSTRACT

Urban waterfronts are experiencing a renaissance, as it is estimated that by 2030 more than 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities, the majority of which are located in coastal or riparian regions. On a global level, changing public demands have spurred a new language of sustainability, revitalisation, and resilience with regard to urban waterfronts. Prior research has explored the potential ecological and social impacts of these trends, both in terms of benefits such as opportunities for recreation, as well as negative consequences such as increasing gentrification. Less explored, however, are how these planning and development processes can alternately support and/or interrupt existing “sense of place” that people hold with waterfront spaces, particularly spaces considered to be degraded and/or that are located in marginalised communities. This paper explores place-making, place-disruption and place protection associated with Coney Island Creek, a heavily polluted waterbody in New York City. We find that the creek provides recreation, sustenance, and social connections for substantial numbers of people, and we discuss these findings in the context of proposed resiliency planning and development projects that are perceived by some local stewards to threaten existing place attachments and meanings. In particular, we emphasise the importance of incorporating local knowledge and values in waterfront planning, especially in neighbourhoods that have been historically marginalised. This study contributes to a growing literature on values associated with urban blue spaces, thus furthering knowledge of how to improve current environmental governance strategies in coastal cities around the world.

摘要

城市滨水区正在经历复兴，据估计，到 2030 年，世界上 60% 以上的人口将居住在城市，其中大部分位于沿海或河岸地区。在全球范围内，不断变化的公共需求催生了一种关于城市滨水区的可持续性、振兴和复原力的新语言。先前的研究已经探索了这些趋势的潜在生态和社会影响，包括娱乐机会等好处，以及高档化程度提高等负面后果。然而，较少探索的是这些规划和开发过程如何交替支持和/或中断人们对滨水空间的现有“地方感”，特别是被认为已退化和/或位于边缘化社区的空间。本文探讨了与纽约市污染严重的水体康尼岛溪相关的场所营造、场所破坏和场所保护。我们发现这条小溪为大量的人提供了娱乐、生计和社会联系，我们在提议的弹性规划和开发项目的背景下讨论了这些发现，一些当地管理者认为这些项目会威胁现有的地方依恋和意义。我们特别强调在滨水区规划中融入当地知识和价值观的重要性，尤其是在历史上被边缘化的社区。这项研究有助于越来越多的关于与城市蓝色空间相关的价值的文献，