THE URBAN WATERFRONT

2010 - 2020’S

Smale Park and Carol Ann’s Carousel opened to the public in 2015 and the Skywheel opened in 2018.

2021

Andrew J Brady Music Center Opens.

02 THE URBAN WATERFRONT

THE URBAN WATERFRONT

This thesis hopes to achieve a mutualistic symbiosis, where all entities benefit from the connection. When analyzing this specific condition, it is vital to understand how the urban riverfront operates, what conditions are successful, and what aspects to avoid. This section will analyze the over-engineered edge in riverfront cities and at the Ohio River edge specifically, successful urban waterfront strategies that are currently employed, and guiding principles to take into consideration when analyzing the Ohio riverfront.

“THERE WAS A GROWING DISCONNECT BETWEEN RIVERSCAPES AND THE SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, DESPITE THEIR INCREASING ECONOMIC RELEVANCE.

WATERFRONT LOCATIONS WERE TURNED INTO A HARD AND APPARENTLY PREDICTABLE AND CONTROLLABLE INFRASTRUCTURE WITH DIMINISHING APPEAL.

THE CITIES SHUT THEMSELVES OFF, TURNING THEIR BACKS ON THE RIVER.

THIS RENDERED RIVERSCAPES OF NO INTEREST FOR OTHER USES OR ACTUALLY MADE THEM INACCESSIBLE OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD”.

- RIVERSCAPES: DESIGNING URBAN EMBANKMENTS

OVER - ENGINEERED EDGE

In nature, symbiosis is used to discuss the way animals inhabit the same spaces and compete for the same resources. The whole ecosystem operates through an intertwined relationship, organisms harming and benefiting each other for their own survival. In much the same way that organisms are connected to each other in their respective ecosystems, the built environment is intrinsically tied to the land it inhabits. Ecologists use the framework of parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism to describe these interactions between species. In particular, this framework can be applied to the push and pull between the riverfront city and the water that abuts it.

Parasitism is when one entity benefits by hurting another, we see this in both the way the built environment harms the waterways and vice versa. Commensalism is when one thing is operating in a way that doesn’t harm or benefit the other. In terms of the relationship between water and Architecture, it is naïve to think that they can operate without having an effect on the other. However, many cities and architectural interventions act as if this siloed relationship of indifference can occur. The third type of relationship is coined Mutualism, the idealistic relationship when both entities benefit. This is the symbiotic relationship this thesis will strive to achieve, when both the water and Architecture benefit from the integration of each other.

Parasitism One entity benefits from harming the other.

It is first important to understand the types of parasitic relationships this thesis will be avoiding. Water often acts as the parasite towards Architecture in the form of natural disaster or slowly weakening the structure. We see this happen in coastal regions that are ravaged by hurricanes, typhoons, and monsoons. The water takes over the built environment quickly and in massive force. However, we also see water as the parasite in a slower and more nuanced fashion. Buildings slowly deteriorate due to the erosion of buildable land, sea levels rising over time, and humidity causing mold infestation. In the case of this thesis, the City of Cincinnati and the Northern Kentucky cities along the river are forced to contend with the ever-present threat of flooding.

On the flip side, Architecture also acts as a parasite towards water and our experiences with it. The need for a modern city life often comes at the expense of our ecosystem. The built environment has contributed towards climate change in a major way and has in part caused droughts, pollution, draining, and restricting small waterways, and rising sea levels. Even removing the ever-present example of climate change, the built environment often restructures and bastardizes the natural movements of water. As designers, we often think of the site as unmolded clay ready to be sculpted to our will. We fill in lakes and create new ones elsewhere, we insert damns to control the water’s movements, and we even reroute rivers and streams to bend to the will of our architectural desires. Although there is often valid reasoning behind these measures, it can result in environmental issues and a lack of connection between the built and the natural environments.

Mill Creek and Queensgate Flood of 1937

We see these parasitic responses along the Ohio River. In response to the forementioned threat of flooding, Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky have devised methods of protecting the built city core from the threat of water. Dramatic changes in river water levels throughout the year and the once vital but ever decreasing need for waterfront industry bred an antiquated urban waterfront design strategy. This urban strategy focuses on protecting the urban core by blocking the city’s connection to the waterways. The riverbanks on both the Kentucky and Ohio side are most often articulated through dense greenery that blocks all physical and visual access to the water, or a hardscape edge that suppresses human interaction. Although there have been efforts made on Cincinnati’s riverfront, including The Banks redevelopment project and Smale Riverfront Park, there is more left to be desired beyond the Central Business District.

The Ohio River and the contributing delta of Mill Creek are surrounded by heavy manufacturing spaces that constrain the natural ebb and flow of the waterways. With the Kenyon Barr and Queensgate project, I-75 was drilled through the center of the historic West End neighborhood, displacing 25,000 people, and completely resurfacing the areas around the Mill Creek. Union Terminal and miles of train tracks were butted up against the Mill Creek on the east and heavy manufacturing plants were situated on the edge of it on the west. River Road and heavy industry was placed along a majority of Cincinnati’s riverfront edge as well. Although the Mill Creek is no longer being used for sewage expulsion from the city, this hard surface edge that surrounds it has heavily restrained its movement and thus made it a forgotten piece of the city.

Commensalism One entity benefits and the other is unaffected.

Most often designers act as if a commensalistic relationship is possible, that choices we make do not effect the environment around them. However, this is not the case. On the main banks along the Ohio River, these manufacturing spaces and paved lots have a similar effect as the parasitic response. Although the public landing and parking lot in front of Newport on the Levee specifically are used for events and event parking, a majority of the year they sit empty. These large parking lots and unprogrammed areas serve as a kink in the flow of human circulation and connection. Today, the Ohio River and Mill Creek are not used much for recreation purposes that used to be an integral part of life in the region. This general disregard and mistreatment of these natural water bodies have caused the Mill Creek and the Ohio River to become an eyesore in our urban fabric. Rather than celebrating the beauty and life they bring to our city, this parasite of the over-engineered river edge (designed to protect the city from the water) has harmed the city and thus our ability to sustain life in this space.

Newport on the Levee

Mutualism Both entities benefit from their interaction.

On the other hand, there are some urban riverfronts that are successful in incorporating the water into their city. One example of a city transforming their riverfront can be found in New York City. The transformation of industrial piers to the Brooklyn Bridge Park (to be discussed later) brought leisure and connection between the city and the river. In addition, the Big U proposal for the Manhattan river edge is looking at fortifying their riverfront as well due to the rising sea levels and threat of flooding.

Another example of a riverfront transformation can be found at the South Bank Parklands of Brisbane in Australia. The Parklands are across the river from the central business district and show a dramatic contrast between river edge conditions. South Bank consists of a mixture of rainforest, water, grassed areas and plazas, as well as features such as the riverfront promenade, restaurants, shops, and fountains. A riverfront wading pool even allows you to swim almost in the river itself. Rerouting streets, addition of pedestrian access and a focus on creating recreational spaces were important goals of the project in order to link the river back to the city. As is evident by the image below, South Bank allows much more interaction with the water than the major road on the river edge of downtown Brisbane allows.

South Bank at Brisbane Australia

TEN GUIDING PRINCIPLES

In trying to create a mutualistic symbiosis between the river and the cities, it is important to consider what makes an urban waterfront special and successful. Alex Krieger outlines Ten Guiding Principles for waterfront development (in Remaking the Urban Waterfront) that describe the important factors and considerations to make when re-evaluating the expression of the water’s edge. These guidelines are speaking to a breadth of cities across the world and a myriad of types of waterfront living. However, these principles can be applied to the Ohio River waterfront as well.

Using these principles as a guideline for waterfront development, this thesis strives to take into account these values and strategies to make the Ohio riverfront a long-term success. In particular the principles of integration, permeability and accessibility will be the main drivers in the decisions made in the project.

FOUNDATIONAL

Identity

The aura of a city largely resides and endures along its waterfront, allowing substantial changes to occur without inevitably harming its enduring qualities of place.

Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky were bred and allowed to flourish due to their close proximity to the Ohio River. Throughout time, the use of the river changed and took the brunt of the changes in prosperity. It is time now to seize the opportunity to make the river an integral part of city life again. “For the city to thrive again, a metamorphosis must occur along its rivers. Those who will be drawn to the city in the future, or who will choose to remain, will do not because steel mills and rail yards once dotted the riverfronts, but because the riverfronts will be accessible, green, beautiful, and clean…”

Reinvention

The transformation along the urban waterfront is a recurring event in the life of a city and tends to occur when major economic or cultural shifts lead to conflicting visions of contemporary urban life.

Krieger describes the Boston history as an example of this need, citing that the re-planning of the waterfront is essential to its success and that proceeding with caution can lead to unsuccessful change. “Maintaining the status quo was not a high priority, nor should it be, at moments of impending economic change.” The Ohio riverfront is still focused on industrial use even though the need has decreased and the need for more public space and housing has taken its place. This proves the validity for an unencumbered revamping of the Ohio River at the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky edge, using history as a guide but not as the limit.

Stability

Despite periodic and sometimes rapid change, a waterfront preserves for its bordering city some inherent and unalterable stability.

Despite the dramatic changes the waterfronts of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky have made since the cities were formed, there is a consistency in the atmosphere and urban qualities along the river. “It is the capacity for geographic persistence, despite the periodic transformation of built forms, that is one of the most valuable qualities of urban waterfronts.” It is important to keep the need and ever-present continuity when proposing new riverside solutions.

Longevity

Waterfront redevelopments are long-term endeavors with the potential to produce long-term value.

In Cincinnati specifically, some efforts have been made to bring people to and extend the city towards the river. By introducing new stadiums and locating major cultural buildings near the river’s edge, people are drawn to the river for major sporting events, festivals, and special occasions. This has already had a huge impact on the way visitors and Cincinnatians view and use the city. Using Cincinnati’s own past as a precedent encourages further development to the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky riverscape.

Viability

Distinctive environments, typically found at waterfronts, provide significant advantages for a city’s competitiveness in its region or in relation to its vital cities.

Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are defined by their relationship to the river, adding to the cultural context of the city. This major artery of transportation, commerce, and public space has bred life into the cities and allowed them to flourish. By reconnecting the cities to the river, they will be tapping back into their life source and strengthening the health of the urban environment.