harborfront

Harborfront is the waterfront area that runs along a harbor, including the edge of the port and adjacent streets and districts. In many cities, harborfronts are focal points for redevelopment, combining public space with commercial, cultural, and sometimes residential uses while preserving links to maritime activity. The concept emphasizes accessibility to the water and the port's identity, often through promenades, quay edges, parks, museums, and cultural venues, as well as restaurants, hotels, offices, and housing. It may include working terminals, ferry or cruise facilities, and marinas.

Origins lie in industrial port districts whose heavy use declined or shifted; redevelopment projects transformed derelict docks into mixed-use environments with pedestrian access, wayfinding, performance spaces, and sustainable infrastructure. Planning and design considerations include transit access, street networks, climate adaptation, flood protection, remediation of contaminated soils, water-sensitive urban design, and preserving heritage assets. Harborfronts can stimulate tourism and economic activity, create jobs, and strengthen urban identity, but they also raise issues of gentrification and balancing port operations with public access.

Global examples of harborfront redevelopment have been applied in cities such as London, Baltimore, Sydney, and Singapore, leading to new cultural institutions, housing, and commercial districts.