"THIRTY YEARS AND COUNTING” is the theme of this year’s Waterfront Center conference, to be held in New York City in October.

This is in recognition of the Center’s 30th anniversary in 2011 as well as the approximate date when the waterfront redevelopment phenomenon took hold in this country and abroad.

To reflect the theme, one of the conference’s 12 panels will feature cities whose waterfront work dates back at least 30 years.

The session will include: Oakland, California; Toronto, Canada and Newport, Rhode Island..

For over 25 years the Center’s conference has been recognized as the premier international waterfront meeting, bringing together a wide range of practitioners from varied disciplines and geography.

In all the Urban Waterfronts 2011 will feature 33 presenters, from cities of all sizes and from a range of geography including overseas. In addition there is to be a keynote feature and a closing presentation.

A conference highlight is the first announcement of the winners of the Center’s annual awards program. The 2011 jury chairman is Jonathan Goldstick, senior vice president, Halcrow Inc., New York, N.Y.

Unique Registration Package

All conference sessions and social functions -- two receptions, two breakfasts, conference luncheon and coffee breaks, all included in the regular registration – will be held at the New York Marriott Downtown at 85 West St., near Battery Park City and Wall Street.

A pre-conference workshop featuring a sampling of the New York area’s waterfront projects will be conducted all day on Thursday, Oct. 27. Special briefings and on-site tours will be organized by a host local committee, headed by Donna Walcavage, principal/vice president at AECOM and Roland Lewis, president and CEO, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, both New York City.

Who Should attend:

City planners, council members, economic development offices; architects, urban designers, landscape architects; environmentalists; citizen activists; boating interests; historic preservationists; private developers, and all interested in urban rejuvenation.

More information

Registration

Pre-conference workshop on New York Harbor all day Thursday, Oct. 27 aboard the Yacht Manhattan.

Friday, October 28 - Morning

8:45 am Keynote Presentation TBA

10:15 am – 12:15 pm CONCURRENT MORNING SESSIONS

Panel A - Waterfront Pioneers: Thirty Years Ago and Today

Moderator: Nando Micale, Wallace Roberts & Todd, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sandra Threlfall, executive director, Waterfront Action, Inc., Oakland, California, It’s a Long Way from Jack London Square – What Four Plus Decades Have Achieved

Chris Glaisek, vice president. planning and design, Waterfront Toronto, Toronto , Ontario , Canada , Harbourfront Was in the Forefront of the Phenomenon – What Was Learned, Where Toronto is Today and What’s Ahead.

Brad Dunbar, president, Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, Rhode Island and Brett Donham, founding principal, Donham & Sweeney-Architects, Boston, Massachusetts, The Newport Waterfront: Nearly 40 years of Public and Private Initiatives – What it Took and What’s Envisioned.

Panel B-1 The Regional Approach: Strength in Numbers

Moderator: Mike Burke, Port of Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY), Washington , District of Columbia , Strength in Numbers: Building a Coalition.

David Carroll, environmental consultant formerly with Baltimore County Office of Sustainability, Baltimore, Maryland, Working with Watershed Groups to Reach a Common Goal.

David Ullrich, executive director, Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Chicago, Illinois, Coalescing to Protect a Vast Resource Touching the Lives of Many Millions – Mayors from the U.S. and Canada Join Forces.

Panel C-1 That Something Special – The Role of Art and Artists:

Moderator: Ed Freer, JJR, LLC, Madison , Wisconsin

Mary Miss, public artist, New York, New York, Creative Collaborations Work for Beautiful and Sustainable Waterfronts

Eytan Poznansky, managing partner, JMLUSAwaterfeaturedesignconsultants, Agoura Hills, California, The Drama and Magic of Water’s Dynamism

Shirt Sleeve Session 1: Student Projects and Initiatives.

This roundtable discussion will explore how to get students involved in waterfront planning and development through research projects and seminars.

Facilitator: Barry Hersh, New York University Schack Institute for Real Estate, New York, New York

Kevin Dwarka, Baruch Institute CUNY, New York, New York

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CONCURRENT AFTERNOON SESSIONS

Panel A-2 Historic Harbors as Economic Generators

Moderator: Charles Norris, Norris & Norris, Cambridge , Massachusetts

Eric Burchill, executive director, Waterfront Development Corporation, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, A Seasoned Mixed-Use Waterfront that Has Retained It’s Patina While Constantly Refreshing Itself.

Panel B-2 The Blue Trails Movement

Moderator: Steve Durrant, Alta Planning + Design, Portland, Oregon

Jamie Mierau, director, river protection, American Rivers, Inc., Washington , District of Columbia , The Blue Trail Movement Has Hit It’s Stride: A National Overview.

Linda Cox, executive director, Bronx River Alliance, Bronx, New York, The Bronx River Blueway – Paddling Opportunities on a Hidden Gem.

Panel C-2

Positive Problem Solving

Moderator: Fran Hegeler, AECOM, San Francisco , California

Therese Hoy, Waterfront and Maritime Specialist, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Integrated Land and Water Access Planning in Sydney and Abu Dhabi.

Lee Weintraub, principal, Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture, Yonkers , New York , Erie Basin : Working with Brownfields, Citizens and the Private Sector.

James Haig-Streeter, TITLE, AECOM, San Francisco, California, Blackpool Promenade and Coastal Protection – A Seaside Community Embraces the Sea.

Shirt Sleeve Session 2: Citizen Power.

Facilitators and Presenters: Nick and Maggie Brooke, Professional Property Services, Ltd. , Hong Kong .

4:30 p.m. Plenary: Announcement and Presentation of the 2011 Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Honor Awards for projects, plans, citizen efforts and student work selected by an interdisciplinary jury.

Jonathan Goldstick, senior vice president, Halcrow , New York , New York , presiding.

Saturday, October 29 - Morning

9:30 – 11:30 a.m. CONCURRENT MORNING SESSIONS

Panel A-3 Building and Maintaining Mixed Use Projects

Moderator: Jim August, The Forks North Portage Development, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Ian Pike, chief executive, Wellington Waterfront, Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand, Waterfront Wellington, With Over Thirty Years Modern History, Wellington’s Waterfront is a Vibrant Multiple- Purpose People Place

Arthur Ziegler, executive director, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Michael Sriprasert, president, Landmarks Community Capital Corporation and director of real estate development, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Station Square and Other Lessons from Pittsburgh.

Panel B-3 Working Waterfronts Revisited

Moderator: Dick Rigby, The Waterfront Center , Washington , District of Columbia

Bill Needelman, Planning & Urban Development, City of Portland, Portland, Maine, Thirty Years Trying to Achieve the Right Balance – Lessons Learned.

C-3 Urban Islands

Moderator: Harriet Saperstein, Detroit, Michigan

Kim Mathews, principal, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, New York, New York: Governor’s Island – A Long-Time Dream Being Realized

Santiago Alfageme, vice president, Moffatt & Nichol, New York, New York: Planning for San Francisco’s Gem – Treasure Island

Sarah Early, Belle Isle Conservancy , Detroit , Michigan : It All Began With Olmsted – The Island Looks to the 21st Century

Shirt Sleeve Session 3: New York Charrette