The Civic Waterfront: Public Participation in Urban Megaproject Design

Abstract

As we seek to regenerate postindustrial waterfronts for public use, public involvement in the design decision-making process must be defined. The design process of urban waterfronts is comprised of significant challenges. These projects are inherently complex, with large infrastructure components, high cost, and technical constraints. Within the design process, public participation can be directed in a multitude of formal and informal directions. This thesis explores different models of public participation using case studies from the Copenhagen Harborfront and the Stockholm Waterfront to compare to the current Seattle Waterfront Design Process. The case study comparison demonstrates that more effort is needed to create a process which balances formal and informal methods of public participation and reestablishes the role of local knowledge in decision-making. The analysis provides the basis for a public participation strategy for the Seattle waterfront: a self-informing public participation model which dictates a reflective and responsive design process in which participants actively shape and contribute ideas to the design outcome of the waterfront. For the long term inhabitation of Seattle's Waterfront, further research is needed to contemplate and establish a self-evolving public participation process for community ownership and commitment.