Redeveloping waterfronts : A study in planning strategies, waterfronts and heritage

Sammanfattning: Redeveloping centrally located waterfronts took of properly in the late 1990’s. Before that, the old brownfields were left untouched for years, often resulting in the connection between them and the city centre worsening. The thesis aims to explore strategies and approaches for waterfront developments. This was done by analysing the strategies used whilst planning the following three sites; Västra Hamnen in Malmö, Nordhavn in Copenhagen and Cardiff Bay in Cardiff. In addition to this, a waterfront site in Gothenburg was chosen and used to put the theoretical discoveries into practice. The theoretical foundation is made up of a literature and document study, where the three case studies and the designated site acted as the main topics of research along with general information about waterfronts and architectural and cultural heritage. The case studies were analysed using a combination of field studies and a literature study. A matrix consisting of ten columns and four rows was created and used as a base for analysing the approaches of the three cities. The site analysis was done with the help of a document study and field study. Both field studies were executed using the method of walk-throughs. The thesis resulted in six suggestions for future actions when redeveloping waterfronts as well as an urban framework proposal. The results are meant to work as a basis for future projects.