Planning the urban waterfront transformation, from infrastructures to public space design in a sea-level rise scenario

The european union prize for contemporary architecture case

Journal Article (2021)
Author(s)

Francesca Dal Cin (Universidade de Lisboa)

Fransje Hooimeijer (TU Delft - Environmental Technology and Design)

Maria Matos Silva (Universidade de Lisboa)

Research Group
Environmental Technology and Design
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.3390/w13020218
More Info
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Publication Year
2021
Language
English
Research Group
Environmental Technology and Design
Issue number
2
Volume number
13
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Abstract

Future sea-level rises on the urban waterfront of coastal and riverbanks cities will not be uniform. The impact of floods is exacerbated by population density in nearshore urban areas, and combined with land conversion and urbanization, the vulnerability of coastal towns and public spaces in particular is significantly increased. The empirical analysis of a selected number of waterfront projects, namely the winners of the Mies Van Der Rohe Prize, highlighted the different morphological characteristics of public spaces, in relation to the approximation to the water body: near the shoreline, in and on water. The critical reading of selected architectures related to water is open to multiple insights, allowing to shift the design attention from the building to the public space on the waterfronts. The survey makes it possible to delineate contemporary features and lay the framework for urban development in coastal or riverside areas.