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The purpose of this study was to analyze 'sharing' as an operational framework for waterfront industrial heritage revitalization in the context of sustainable urban regeneration. This research study was conducted to better understand the public accessibility of heritage preservation projects in a densely populated waterfront urban area and to determine to what extent heritage could be made available to the general public. We examined the development of industrial heritage along Suzhou Creek, Shanghai, and its process of regeneration. The focus area covered a waterway stretch of 19.2 km and an adjacent land area of 11.7 km2 managed as a single planning entity on both sides of the creek. We analyzed the present preservation practices and discovered a growing desire to increase the historical buildings' visibility in the context of urban regeneration. We argue that 'sharing' can serve as a pivotal framework for sustainable waterfront regeneration, as its implementation can (1) increase the public value of waterfront heritage and (2) incorporate comprehensive objectives, design strategies, evaluation methods, and public participation into the space revitalization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Port–city ecosystems face pressing challenges, such as land regeneration and environmental conservation, while striving to foster conscientious governance models among stakeholders. An innovative solution to address these issues lies in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), acknowledged by sustainability frameworks as essential for sustainable urban development. Although ICT is regularly employed by ports for logistics and traffic management, its untapped potential for urban planning is substantial. Starting from studies conducted on port planning and management and the use of ICT as a decision support system, this research seeks to explore the feasibility of devising an innovative model to facilitate deliberative decision-making for the regeneration of port–city interaction areas. This study adopts the InterACT approach to support planning efforts by constructing an open and implementable Geographic Information System (GIS). This approach has been tested on the Port of Naples in Italy to provide the Port System Authority (AdSP) of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea with strategic guidance as part of their efforts to draft a new Port Master Plan. The initial achievements encompass the establishment of an operational database to facilitate stakeholders within the Port, in conjunction with the implementation of a deliberative decision-making process enriched by ICT. Additionally, a tool was devised to seamlessly combine visualization and spatial data integration, thus fostering engagement and collaboration between port and urban stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities worldwide are developing strategies to cope with heat waves, extreme colds, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, pandemics, and other disasters caused by climate change. To this end, a resilience theory is being expanded and applied as a methodology to secure social and spatial systems that respond to climate change while providing ecological habitats and spaces for more diverse human activities. This study evaluated resilient redevelopment strategies for the Hangang River in Seoul by drawing on practices grounded in resilience theory. This study analyzed the nine proposals from the Resilience by Design Challenge, which aimed to gather response strategies for climate change in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2017 to identify practical physical design and social system strategies. Each team's strategy for implementing urban resilience focused on six categories: governance systems, financial planning, public engagement, accessibility, ecology, and diversity. The guidelines to consider during the redevelopment of the Hangang River in Seoul were formulated by applying these criteria to the review of the river. This process has also yielded the following implications and characteristics for resilient design. First, ensuring the resilience of a city necessitates prioritizing the resolution of regional imbalances. Second, the social and ecological resilience of cities is intricately intertwined. Moreover, comprehending the dynamics between the two can guide effective, resilient design. Third, resilient design's spatial and temporal scales are extensive and varied, highlighting the importance of understanding the relationships among categories and subcategories at different hierarchies. Finally, the value of urban waterfront space, traditionally associated with positive cultural and economic contributions to cities, must be reevaluated more profoundly and meaningfully in light of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis and evaluation of the service capacity of an urban public space is of great importance for optimizing spatial design and ensuring sustainable regeneration of the space. Point-of-interest (POI) data analysis is a common method for evaluating the performance of public space since it contains various geographical information about specific facilities. However, this method is incapable of providing intuitive and clear feedback on the usage of the space, such as visitor experience and satisfaction levels. In this paper, we present a hybrid approach that combines POI data with questionnaire surveys to comprehensively analyze and evaluate the service capacity of the facilities in a waterfront public space. By taking the Changning section of the Suzhou Creek in Shanghai as an example, we evaluate and verify the utilization rate and satisfaction level of public facilities based on this hybrid approach with three satisfaction factors: accessibility, landscape visual quality, and service functions. The results reveal that the service space that can be reached on foot provides the most satisfaction in terms of accessibility, followed by the space that can be reached by bicycle. When it comes to landscape visual quality, visitors are more concerned with the view around the facility than with the greenery. Regarding service functions, the service facility with beverage outlets, fitness, and small gatherings is more appealing. The proposed approach will be useful for further developing advanced public space evaluation strategies with real-time feedback capabilities, as well as for the intelligent design and long-term regeneration of future public spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterfront intervention, as one of the post-industrial reuse paradigms, has flourished around the world and been studied as a global phenomenon. This paper investigates the application of a dual adaptive reuse strategy to industrial heritage waterfront buildings and explores its social significance. The case study is of the West Bund, a waterfront renovation in Shanghai, China. Insights are drawn from the qualitative research approach of triangulation, with evidence derived from document sources, archival records, direct participants and semi-structured interviews. This paper examines a series of galleries and landscapes created from former industrial buildings and facilities along the Huangpu River. It concludes that the West Bund exemplifies a dual strategy of adaptive reuse: art-led and landscape-led building reuse. This dual strategy can be viewed as an endeavour to balance urban gentrification and publicness in the megalopolis. It can also be argued, however, that the dual approach to adaptive reuse is unsustainable within the framework of an entrepreneurial state, and significantly so in the post-epidemic era when economic growth pressure increases. This study contributes to our understanding of the complex nature of industrial heritage in the rapidly shifting landscape of contemporary China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of urban spaces, including waterfronts, must consider the flexibility to respond to urban and environmental changes and the continuity that respects the existing urban factors that have determined the essential characteristics of the place. The Hangang River in Seoul, South Korea, has been susceptible to significant changes over the years and has accumulated considerable historical traces and an irrevocable relationship with its urban contexts. On the other hand, as the country experienced rapid development, most urban plans have been executed based on shortsighted perspectives without considering sustainability. This study suggests adaptability as the main driver to achieve sustainability of the urban riverfront by viewing the site condition dichotomously. The components of the site were distinguished as fixed and variable factors. Considering fixed factors, six design intervention types were applied to the site through extensive macroanalysis and correlation studies, and each intervention was proposed to respond to the variable factors of the site. This study proposed four strategies to upgrade the riverfront as an adaptable space. First, five types of waterfronts were introduced with more distinct functions and identities to accommodate various activities. Second, commercial development was introduced to build a stable financial base that could respond to economic fluctuations. Third, the ecological waterfront space was expanded to react to climate change in the long term and achieve the goals of improving the microclimate, biodiversity, and educational function in the short term. Lastly, connective infrastructure was introduced to address the rapidly increasing demand for open space. The significance of this study was twofold. First, the site condition was interpreted more comprehensively by applying a framework for analysis by distinguishing the fixed and variable factors. Second, the strategy presented in this study can be applied to establish a waterfront redevelopment plan in other cities that have a context similar to the Hangang River of Seoul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates public spaces near urban rivers that contribute to the interaction between natural and urbanized areas and between people from different socio-economic backgrounds. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the environment of the largest urbanized areas of the Czech Republic, through which a large watercourse flows and creates a direct interaction with the city center. To evaluate the state of connectivity and comfort of urban rivers in the Czech Republic, a set of tools was applied to three cities: Prague, České Budějovice, and Hradec Králové. The methodology was created to correspond to the territory of Central Europe and was used for the specific assessment of rivers in four dimensions: (a) the spatial and visual accessibility, (b) the condition of the green corridor, (c) the condition of public space, and (d) the condition of the first built line. The dimensions are expressed using thirteen quantitative indicators of the environmental condition. The methodology uses the Urban River Sustainability Index (URSI), which was necessary to adjust the calculations of the indicators and resources for the Central European area. The best results were found in the central part of Prague and the worst in the peripheral part of Hradec Králové. The results call for the use of connectivity and comfort assessments of urban rivers for comparison, motivation, and future improvement in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessing parks without transmitting viruses would ensure not depriving people of parks' health benefits during pandemics. This study attempts to develop a practical tool for park managers to assess the risk of contracting respiratory contagious illnesses, decide on meaningful mitigation measures, and monitor the effect of these measures. The assessment is based on the spatial and temporal behaviors of users at each park open space type (POST), particularly the behaviors that may impact the risk of illness transmission. The researcher created a checklist, including five factors relating to users: physical distancing, density, duration of stay, percentage of users wearing masks, and frequency of surface touch; then, the implementation of the tool was demonstrated by selecting a sample zone from Jeddah waterfront park, Saudi Arabia, while COVID-19 was active. User behavior data were collected at the POSTs of the sample zone, using behavioral mapping and tracking methods. After analyzing the data using ArcGIS Desktop and SPSS Statistics software, the data were used to fill out the composed checklist to assess the risk at POSTs. The findings indicated that the waterfront railing area, playground, and pier were the POSTs with the highest risk. By using the checklist, park managers can contribute to the success of non-pharmaceutical mitigation interventions at a local scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residents of coastal cities have a strong relationship with the waterfront, which people of different ages, types, levels of awareness, and cultural backgrounds use. People of different cultures tend to use these open spaces with various responses. They consider it a lung for them, and practice most of their entertainment and social events with different attitudes. Therefore, municipalities spend a large budget on designing, implementing, and developing these areas. However, sadly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the local authorities in many cities decided to shut down the city, including the waterfront area. Al Khobar city, Saudi Arabia, was one of the cities had that had a broad lockdown. Consequently, the use of open spaces became dangerous, and municipalities placed many restrictions on using such spaces to control the spread of COVID-19. Residents had no opportunity to use them for exercise, sports, social activities, or even for enjoying the fresh air, negatively influencing their lives at different levels. This research discusses this problem and examines the restoration of the waterfront after the authorities announced a decrease in the status of the hazards of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will consider returning safely to using the waterfront and allowing it to be accessible to the public, like before the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it will suggest recommendations for the future use of the waterfront in a secure way to prevent the spread of such viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the attractiveness of urban waterfronts has become an important objective to promote economic development and improve the environmental quality. However, few studies have focused on the inherent characteristics of urban waterfront attractiveness. In this study, mobile phone signaling data and the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) were used to construct the attractiveness evaluation system of the riverside in Wuhan. The OLS (ordinary least squares) regression model was used to analyze the relationship between the POI (point of interest) and the attractiveness of river waterfronts. Furthermore, the high-or-low-value aggregation classification of research units was performed according to attractiveness and the POI indicators to reveal the influencing factors of the attractiveness of the Wuhan urban riverside. Results showed the following. (1) The high-value distribution of attractiveness of the river waterfronts in Wuhan presented regional aggregation characteristics, and the attractiveness of economically developed areas was high. (2) Consumer POIs (CPOIs) and outdoor recreation POIs (RPOIs) had a positive effect on the attractiveness of the riverside in Wuhan, while housing POIs (HPOIs), public service POIs (OPOIs), and the high degree of POI mixing had a negative impact on the attractiveness of the urban riverside. (3) The high–high agglomeration spaces were mainly concentrated in the economically developed areas of the city center, which are mainly open spaces where urban cultural activities are held, while the low–low agglomeration spaces were mostly gathered in the suburban areas. The spatial distribution of the high–low agglomeration spaces, which are mainly green open spaces, was relatively fragmented, while the low–high agglomeration spaces, which are mainly freight terminals, linear walks, and residential areas, were near the city center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the history of the development of the riverfront of the Han River, the river that runs east-to-west in Seoul. In many scholarly works, the development of a commercial leisure district on the one hand, and local uses such as low-cost housing on the other, have formed two opposing waterfront spatial imaginaries. However, it is questionable whether these two visions are applicable to many metropolitan riverfront developments. The historical absence of an industrial port and the focus on the traffic flow in the Han River have contributed to the linear development of the waterfront area. After analyzing archival data and ethnographical interviews, this paper argues that this idiosyncrasy of the Han River waterfront should not be regarded as either underutilization or underdevelopment. Rather, it should be considered as reflecting the unique urban conditions of Seoul, including the legacy of the Cold War, the wide breadth of the river, and the relatively late expansion of the city south of the river. By situating the Han River development in the context of increasing criticism against the copy-and-paste waterfront developments elsewhere, this paper argues the consideration of "place" needs to include a historical dimension as past spatial practices have the tendency to continue to the present even after new developments are established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterfront revitalization would be an effective strategy to preserve heritages, conserve the contaminated or abandoned site and inspire the identity and authenticity. However, there is no decision support tool to quantify and evaluate the sustainability accreditation of waterfronts in tourism attraction. This research aimed to identify the most potential waterfront typology in tourism attraction and develop the waterfront sustainable revitalization (SWR) index assessment model. The SWR index can assist policy makers and urban developers to analyze the heritage waterfronts using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The research found out the historic waterfront has the highest potential in tourism attraction among other typologies. And, pollution moderator is mostly important sub-criterion in tourism absorption (WC2.2 = 0.1294); followed by Identity (WC1.2 = 0.1272) and Safety and well-being (WC1.3 = 0.1043). The SWR index can be applied in any waterfronts in heritage cities around the world, while this research implemented it as a case study in Bandar Maharani, Muar, Malaysia. It resulted Bandar Maharani was ranked as grade C; means, usable waterfront to which extent environmental, social and physical revitalization are needed. The SWR index can be coupled with other decision-making methods in future, to reduce its inconsistencies and increasing accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of revitalized historic urban waterfronts as potential creative milieus attracting creative tourists. Waterfront redevelopment raises issues concerning an extensive range of urban planning and management perspectives, extending from space design to economic, environmental, cultural, and tourism considerations. The paper first reviews the ways in which the relationship between waterfronts and urban functions of port-cities has evolved over time, before turning to the examination of historic waterfronts' redevelopment as creative milieus to host creative industries. The agglomeration of creative industries, cultural organizations and venues, and recreational facilities in urban spaces is widely recognized to generate a dynamic urban culture attracting a new wave of "creative tourists", which do not fit to the mainstream cultural tourism behavior, and prefer to visit lively creative spaces based, not only on heritage, but also on contemporary culture. In this paper, the analysis focuses on how historic revitalized waterfronts can act as creative milieus, based on port-cities' genius loci as cosmopolitan places of intercultural communication, offering a new alternative approach to urban cultural tourism and hopefully functioning as a spin wheel for the regeneration of the urban economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive urbanization around the world has resulted in the consumption of massive vegetated areas and natural resources. To this end, one strategy for urban development is to consolidate urban areas. In Balneário Camboriú/SC, Brazil, this trend has transformed the city into a vertical built-up area on its coastal strip, accommodating a large amount of buildings both in terms of quantity and number of floors. This research aims to quantify the thermo-hygrometric fluctuation on the waterfront of Balneário Camboriú, in negative radiation balance. To acquire the data on air temperature (Ta) and relative humidity (RH), two mobile transects and measuring at two fixed points were made in a situation of negative radiation balance on 26 August 2019, in the winter period of the Southern Hemisphere. The collection work began at 06:00:00 a.m. (before sunrise, the peak of the negative radiation balance), on Atlântica Avenue (waterfront) and Brasil Avenue (parallel to the waterfront). It was verified that the Ta varied from 16.0 °C to 19.0 °C, and the RH remained over 80% during the entire route. At the meteorological shelters, the temperature presented a variation from 14.4 °C to 17.7 °C, and the RH ranged from 79.6% to 91.3% between the two points. The spatial variability in the Ta and RH along the paths travelled and at the fixed points is directly related to the land cover, represented especially by the buildings' verticalization and data collection time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, the soundscape approach has attracted the attention of architects and urban planners, leading them to incorporate the acoustic features into the enjoyment of their creations. One of the key aspects for an appreciated urban environment is to match the expectations of the users. In this study, the matching of the waterfront soundscape with the users' expectations is evaluated by laboratory tests using semantic differential scales applied to reproduced virtual scenarios obtained adding different water sound pressure levels (SPLs) to the original in-situ setting. The tests were carried out by an immersive virtual reality (IVR) device, using 360° videos and spatial audio recorded in two sites of the waterfront in Naples, Italy. The scenarios were presented to the participants according to three experimental protocols, namely audio-only (A), video-only (V), and simultaneous audio-video (AV) reproduction. The examined different acoustic scenarios were the original one recorded in situ and others obtained adding seawater sounds at SPL increments of 5 dB. The results show that all the scenarios with water sounds added are rated more pleasant than the original one for the audio-only scenario. When video and audio are displayed simultaneously, two scenarios are more pleasant than the original one, likely because there is a need for coherence between the water sound SPL heard and the visible noise sources. Sounds coherent with the type of shore show a higher matching with expectations and pleasantness appraisals, rather than those that are uncoherent with the layout scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes apartment building configurations in waterfront residential areas relative to water flow direction and assesses the waterfront impact on apartment construction planning. It surveyed 197 apartment buildings around Yangjaecheon, Gulpocheon, and Anyangcheon, three branches of the Han River, a major South Korean river, to ascertain the correlation between stream flows and apartment building configurations. The apartments were classified into four spatial-configuration categories relative to the adjacent stream's flow axis—perpendicular, parallel, diagonal, and other—and three orientation categories—east- and/or west-facing, south-facing, and other. South-facing apartments were predominant around west- and north-flowing streams. The proportion of east- and/or west-facing apartments built and the percentage of south-facing apartments were relatively low, indicating that apartment building layouts are more diverse around north-flowing streams than around west-flowing streams. A t-test analysis of east- and south-facing apartments' proportions relative to stream flow direction was statistically significant, and there were relatively higher percentages of east- and west-facing apartments near north-flowing streams than west-flowing ones. This suggests that the relationship with rivers is still important in urban housing in South Korea, and the importance of landscapes over the river is of increasing significance for planning urban settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main objectives of contemporary society and international research is to improve the physical and psychological health and well-being of the population, especially within the urban space. An effective approach to address this complex issue must necessarily be trans-disciplinary, and must be framed in the broader perspective of the Science of Sustainability, in particular the Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development, as a frame of reference. The study shows the first results of research, in terms of methodology and qualitative analysis, with the following objectives—identification of the criteria for intervention for a healthy city design, with particular attention to the psychological, architectural, and construction aspects, and an initial verification of these criteria, through a case study consisting of a section of the city's waterfront, in the city of Livorno. This case study has enabled, both, the definition of an innovative design and implementation of solutions, for the correct use, accessibility, and management of spaces. It provides the first evaluation of a possible digital analyses of a waterfront, before and after intervention; and highlights the potential and the critical aspects of the process of recovery and re-appropriation of an urban space, for a new social life, within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades the renewal of waterfront contexts has been especially inspired by neoliberal approaches favoring the creation of residential units and entertainment facilities. However, sustainability frameworks suggest that the economic dimension should be interpreted in a way that goes beyond the profitability of the interventions and that takes into account non-monetary values as well. In light of the complex social value (CSV) theory—which considers as a fundamental value component the intrinsic values attributed by communities to environmental and cultural heritage resources—this article proposes the adoption of exploratory methods to firstly map and then integrate citizens' points of view into the evaluation and design of redevelopment scenarios, selecting the ex-industrial complex of Officine Piaggio (Italy) as a case study. Survey results highlighted that discrepancies between the new functions advanced by official redevelopment proposals and citizens' opinions were present, and that values such as memory and collective meaning need to be considered if multidimensional sustainability represents a goal. Coherent with these results, a new project scenario is then envisioned and implications related to the application of exploratory methods in the decision-making and policy-design processes are finally advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High flows of road traffic noise in urban agglomerations can negatively affect the livability of squares and parks located at the neighborhood, district and city levels, therefore pushing anyone who wants to enjoy calmer, quieter areas to move to non-urban parks. Due to the distances between these areas, it is not possible to go as regularly as would be necessary to satisfy any needs. Even if cities are densely populated, the presence of a sea or riverfront offers the possibility of large restorative places, or at least with potential features for being the natural core of an urban nucleus after a renewal intervention. This study evaluates the soundscape of the Naples waterfront, presenting an overview of the most significant visual, acoustic and spatial factors related to the pedestrian areas, as well as areas open to road traffic and others where the road traffic is limited. The factors were chosen with feature selection methods and artificial neural networks. The results show how certain factors, such as the perimeter between the water and promenade, the visibility of the sea or the density of green areas, can affect the perception of the soundscape quality in the areas with road traffic. In the pedestrian areas, acoustic factors, such as loudness or the A-weighted sound level exceeded for 10% of the measurement duration (LA10), influence the perceived quality of the soundscape., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.