Urban waterfronts
Credit to Author: ARCHITECT FELINO A. PALAFOX, JR.| Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 17:51:27 +0000
“IF there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water,” the famous American anthropologist and writer Loren Eiseley once said. As an architect and urban planner, I believe that any trace of truth in that statement can potentially apply to those areas on this earth where cities engage their shorelines — as in urban waterfronts. Historically, the earliest settlements were built along bodies of water, from where great cities were found like London along the Thames River and Rome along the Tiber. Civilizations thrived along them for years. Since water is a vital resource for life and essential for the total well-being of everyone, it ought to be maintained and preserved always, wherever it is found. People responsibly do so in Hamburg, Rotterdam, Sydney, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, New York and Tokyo — cities that have become famous for their waterfront character.
Waterfronts are symbolic of life in a city. Amsterdam is known for its canal culture; Stockholm hosts the annual Water Festival that attracts millions of people to meet and celebrate on their beautiful harbor. They are all witnesses to the global culture that desires more open space for recreation and physical activities. Ann Breen and Dick Rigby in their book Waterfronts noted that since many people are enjoying more leisure time and greater mobility, waterfront developments have become sites for cultural tourism and ecotourism where locals set up shops, cafes, restaurants, and establishments to entertain both traditional and local tourists.
Here in our country, Filipinos built their lives along Manila Bay. In earlier centuries, they transformed it into a world-class port for trade with neighboring countries. Those were the glorious days of the bay, which hopefully, can be restored today, beginning with its rehabilitation. We are at an exciting time to consider the best models to emulate for this historical revival. Pacifico Yokohama in Japan, Darling Harbor in Sydney, Quayside in the UK, and Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in South Africa are examples of major waterfront transformations we can learn from today (Breen and Rigby).
These beautiful cities have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded at the water’s urban edge amid the deterioration of their surroundings. For example, in Sydney, the congested principal rail-to-sea interchange based in Darling Harbor was transformed into a major entertainment district in time for Australia’s bicentennial observance in 1988. Today, it is one of the most visited areas in Australia. In Yokohama, Japan, one will find a public park and Japan’s second tallest building — the Landmark Tower — at a prime waterfront area overlooking the harbor, the surrounding city, and Mt. Fuji. The urban transformation at Quayside in the UK is among the most dramatic. The once thriving industries that were built following the fire of 1854 were revived through the rehabilitation of well-known architectural sites: the Copthorne Hotel, Baltic Chambers, and Pandon Quays, which have become landmarks along the River Tyne waterfront area. In the late 1980s, the port authorities in Cape Town, South Africa took action to solve the problems associated with the abandonment of the Duncan Dock that was eventually cut off from the city center by highways and railways. They transformed the Pierhead Precinct into an area of vitality that harbors recreational boats and fishing fleets. Now, an annual 16-day waterfront festival enables people, including government ministers, to visualize what might be accomplished (Breen and Rigby). Like these amazing developments, Manila Bay can become a beautiful waterfront if we can find ways to enhance people’s quality of life in the area, similar to what others have done in the cities I mentioned.
Last week, while I shared with you some of my recommendations on the rehabilitation of Manila Bay, I emphasized the importance of designing urban waterfront developments that enhance people’s quality of life in all aspects. This is exactly what Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted and John C. Olmsted — proponents of the City Beautiful Movement at the turn of the century — envisioned for urban communities around the world. They imagined and designed handsome shoreline parks, plazas, walkways, bridges, and riverside drives for millions of people to use. Perhaps now is the time that we Filipinos do the same for ourselves and for future generations to come.
This is the life Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture envisioned while proposing the waterfront designs of Laguna Lake, San Juan River, Navotas Coast, Pampanga River, and currently, Metro Davao and Corregidor. In these developments, we consider the possibilities of building linear parks, safe sidewalks, and spaces for rest and leisure. With these accessible and well-lit places, it will become easier to monitor violators of environmental regulations constantly. At the Dubai Creek, which I was fortunate enough to help plan and design as a senior architect and planner, people experience what they can only do in Dubai: shop for gold, ride a cable car to see breathtaking views of the city, watch and participate in the numerous street shows, watch fireworks from the sidewalk, and try many exciting cultural attractions. What’s more, this waterfront development was instrumental in Dubai’s economic growth, driving the city toward investment and competition for the long term.
I’m optimistic that the “Battle for Manila Bay” can transform the area into a world-class public space ideal for life in the country’s capital and surrounding regions. It is high time we envision what lies ahead for the Manila Bay Metropolitan Region. With rehabilitation on its way, many of us will be involved directly or indirectly in its transformation. We will all be known for what we make of it. As we have seen, it is possible to transform a waterfront into a beautiful landscape — the landscape afforded by raising the standard of living in those areas for everyone’s benefit. Is there anything more magical than this?
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