In just a dozen years, Daniel Island, a 4,000-acre (1,619 ha) site at the northern end of Charleston Harbor has been transformed from a private hunting retreat to a master-planned community. In the process, it has become an important center for the region and a national model for smart growth.
At the project’s inception in 1995, the region’s newly opened I-526 beltway passed through Daniel Island, presenting a unique suburban infill opportunity that would enable the city to grow without contributing to sprawl. On its way to becoming a small town—the community is 50 percent complete as of early 2007—Daniel Island already has nearly 2,000 residences and a town center with shops, restaurants, and other conveniences; extensive recreation amenities; and many businesses, schools, churches, and two professional sports facilities. At buildout in 2015, the community is expected to contain approximately 6,000 residences and 3 million square feet (278,709 m2) of commercial space.
Bridging the mouth of the marina Channel, marina Barrage creates Singapore’s 15th freshwater reservoir and its first in the heart of the city. Designed and developed by the Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore’s national water agency, the barrage and reservoir stand as an international model for urbanized areas. Part infrastructure project, part new urban park, Marina Barrage features an 11,000-square meter (118,400-sf) green roof, a jetty for boats to dock, a water-sports center for sailing and rowing, an exhibition gallery for public education, and commercial space for restaurants and retail use.
Since opening in 2008, Marina Barrage has welcomed more than 2 million visitors and received numerous awards for excellence in engineering and sustainability, standing as a water conservation model for urbanized, seafront cities across the globe. Singapore’s circumstances necessitated a bold and innovative solution to provide a new supply of drinking water, increased flood control, and recreational opportunities for its citizens.
The 62-hectare (153-ac) Mandurah Ocean Marina is a waterfront hub and major tourist destination adjacent to the central business district of Mandurah, a city located about an hour’s drive south of Perth, Western Australia’s capital. With a thriving tourism industry, Mandurah is one of the fastest-growing urban areas in Australia.
Fulfilling a 30-year community vision for a world-class boating and tourism facility, Mandurah Ocean Marina overcame major stakeholder differences, enabling positive outcomes for all involved: adjoining landowners, clubs, and residents. The development was created on a strip of underused — and in some areas derelict — oceanfront land. Composed of North Harbour and South Harbour, linked by a pedestrian bridge, the development offers a mix of residences, hotels, shops, restaurants and cafés, entertainment venues, mooring facilities for large and small boats, and activities for boating and fishing enthusiasts. Specifically, it includes 2,500 square meters (26,900 sf) of office space; 16,000 square meters (172,200 sf) of retail, restaurant, and entertainment facilities; a 24,000-square-meter (258,300- sf) marina; 281 hotel rooms; 410 residences; and 1,700 parking spaces.
Located in the waterfront district adjacent to downtown Boston, Massachusetts, the mixed-use Atlantic Wharf is one of Boston’s first green skyscrapers. Covering a 2.1-acre (0.85 ha) block, Atlantic Wharf includes 776,000 square feet (72,093 m2) of office space, 25,000 square feet (2,323 m2) of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, 86 luxury rental units, and a 23,300 square-foot urban park. The urban park is part of a waterfront landscaped plaza that allows direct boardwalk and marina access. In addition to retail space, the ground floor holds 16,000 square feet (1,486 m2) of indoor public space.
Beijing and Shanghai enjoy tremendous attention for their bold new development, but many of China’s often overlooked second-tier cities are engaging in endeavors that are just as intrepid. Dragon Lake Bridge Park in the city of Bengbu, located in Anhui Province, provides a powerful example of how landscape design can transform a city’s identity as well as the way people connect with one another and with nature. AECOM’s design of the $40 million, 25-hectare (62-ac) park succeeds in enhancing the environment and quality of life for the city as a whole, in promoting tourism and investment, and in creating a contemporary space that celebrates local culture while strengthening public awareness of the natural and built environments.
Harbor Town, finished in 2004 after a 15-year development period, is one of the earliest examples of a traditional neighborhood development (TND) and certainly one of the most complete. It is located on Mud Island, a 400-acre (162 ha), two-mile-long peninsula on the Memphis side of the Mississippi River. The development site was a barren vacant parcel adjacent to Memphis’s central business district, but miles away from any housing less than 100 years old. Its design—gridded streets, many terminating in small parks; wide radial boulevards; a strong pedestrian orientation; formally planned public squares; and architectural forms based on historical prototypes—embodies many of the basic principles of TND.
The Battery Park City Master Plan, adopted in 1979, has facilitated the private development of 8 million square feet (743,000 m2) of commercial space, 7.2 million square feet (669,000 m2) of residential space, and nearly 36 acres (14 ha) of open space in lower Manhattan, becoming a model for successful large-scale planning efforts. The strength of the master plan has allowed development to occur incrementally, thereby creating a neighborhood with a stable mix of uses and diverse architecture that blends into the existing New York City street grid.
Concord Pacific Place is a 204-acre (82.5-hectare) mixed-use, master-planned waterfront redevelopment project stretching some two miles (three kilometers) along the north shore of False Creek in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Now, about ten years into an expected 20-year-long construction period, the project features three waterfront parks, a community center, two child-care centers, a marina, 3,800 residential units, and 60,000 square feet (5,574 square meters) of neighborhood retail.
Based on a 2004 master plan created by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the Navy Yard is a redevelopment of Philadelphia’s historic navy yard located along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers just three miles (4.8 km) from the city center. Under development by the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the 1,200-acre (485.6-ha) project comprises both new construction and adaptive use, with an ethic of sustainability permeating all aspects of planning, development, and operations. At buildout and after an expected $2 billion in private investment through public/private partnerships, the Navy Yard will feature a total of 15 million square feet (1.4 million sq m) of space and will support more than 20,000 employees. As of February 2009, the project has a number of tenants Including Urban Outfitters, the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Barthco International, Tasty Baking Company, and the U.S. Navy, and over 7,500 employees working there.
Redevelopment of a 43-acre naval installation adjacent to the historic district of Key West, Florida. The redeveloped Truman Annex contains 425 residential units, 60,000 square feet of commercial space, 244 hotel rooms/ time share units, and 22,000 square feet of museum space. The project involved extensive infrastructure development, environmental remediation, historic preservation, and new construction.
