For all its romantic history (Florida Waterfront Real Estate) as a great port, not
For all its romantic history as a great port, not to mention its hundreds of miles of shoreline, New York is barely known today as a waterfront city. But after reading “Beyond the Edge: New York’s New Waterfront” by Raymond W. Gastil, you’ll be convinced that New York’s future is on its waterfront. Gastil confronts the city’s post industrial malaise and demonstrates that after decades of shoreline deterioration, New York is on the verge of becoming a “dynamic waterfront metropolis.” The book, which covers an array of exciting developments in all five boroughs not just buildings, but also parks, ferry connections, water treatment plants and even the restoration of the world’s largest garbage dump is the most complete and up to date picture of change and opportunity on the New York watefront. At the same time, the book is much more than a survey or an architectural showcase of pretty pictures. It is above all a book of big ideas. As a participant in many New York projects and a writer/historian of the Brooklyn waterfront, I particularly appreciate Gastil’s far reaching scope and intelligent, well informed analysis. With both a keen sense of local history and an international perspective, he describes cutting edge projects in other world class waterfront cities and sets the same high goals for New York. He sees the waterfront as an extension of the vital city, a place not just for high rise housing, but as an integrated part of the urban infrastructure. Whether rebuilding Ground Zero or planning new sports facilities for the Olympics, New York should “celebrate its infrastructure,” he maintains, with designs that challenge expectations and connect the waterfront to the city. And while the book is an argument for good planning, Gastil does not rest his case on abstractions. His prose is as clear and sharp as the book’s striking photographs and graphic design. Even the cover jacket tells the story, reversing to a map of the New York waterfront with pullout photos of major projects. This is a book for everyone a practical, visionary and inspiring guide to the city’s future.
This book like all of Jack Leigh’s other books is wonderful to page through. Although, photographically his other books are more my style, I believe this is a worthwhile book to own.
Ever since Peter Stuyvesant established the first pier in the 1640s, the New York City waterfront has been a hotbed of controversy and conflicting special interests. Not until 1871 did the city institute the Department of Docks to bring some order to the port and harbor; prior to that, the city’s 112 piers were all under the authority of different agencies, and by the 1870s the entire infrastructure had decayed; wooden wharves were dilapidated, rat infested, and unsafe. To impose some method upon the maritime madness, the city created its Department of Docks under General George B. McClellan. For 60 years the waterfront thrived, until New Jersey replaced New York as a final destination for container ships; now the area is once again in decline. In The New York Waterfront, historians, students, architects, and teachers take a look at where the port and harbor have been and speculate about their future. The six essays in this book offer both a historical context and a commentary on solutions, both hypothetical and those in progress. It is as much about New York’s civic culture as about its waterfront, and thus it’s a fascinating read, even for those without a vested interest in the future of the harbor.
