Contemporary Waterfronts, What, Why and How?

Dear Colleagues,

Cities and water have a long history of interaction, and waterfront spaces have been the living spaces that bear witness to this relation. Since the advent of industrialisation, the accelerated changing of socio-economic paradigms and the continuous emergence of new societal and environmental problems introduced periods with different degrees of tension. The sequences of the production and regeneration of waterfront areas over time reflect this dynamic, testifying to the implementation of new agendas, policies, spatial plans, and urban projects, these frequently being the laboratories of urban/industrial phenomena. In recent decades, waterfront studies from multiple perspectives reveal both the richness, complexity, and representativeness of these areas. Today, new agendas follow each other, overlapping priorities and coexisting with unfinished previous ones: climate change adaptation and rising sea levels; light mobility; ecological and nature-based approaches; port/industrial heritage and memory values; the repurposing of waterfront sites; the coexistence of previous and new economies, in a complex productive system; touristification; the circular economy; new port–city conflicts, such as cruise impacts; new and more intensive forms of leisure and recreation; social conflicts. The waterfront space is the object of a complex system of conflict dynamics, combining transversal perspectives, none less important than the others. Values need to be discussed again, as several need to be combined simultaneously in the same spaces. "Contemporary Waterfronts: What, Why and How?" opens up a reflective discussion about the shared problems of the contemporary waterfront. “What” addresses what those problems are; “why” addresses what they are due to; and “how” addresses how have or can cities deal with them. This Special Issue seeks spatial diversity, allowing for the confrontation of experiences at waterfronts all over the world. It covers a broad time range, looking at the recent past, the present and the future, since practices from the past frequently inform present and future solutions. Over time, waterfront areas have addressed common problems via shared experiences. Today, this practice is even more relevant. We invite you to join and discuss, with support from empirical material and local practices, the contemporary waterfront: what, why and how?

Dr. Maria José Andrade Marques
Dr. Francesca Dal Cin
Prof. Dr. João Pedro Costa
Topic Editors