History

The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance was started as a project of the Municipal Art Society of New York in 2000 to capitalize on opportunities whose outcomes would have considerable repercussions for the waterfront. Critical land use, regulatory, and environmental decisions being made in this decade will determine how the New York metropolitan area will look and function for years to come, and how future generations are able to access the water and enjoy this great resource that is literally at our doorsteps.

As a small, growing entity, MWA was able to accomplish surprising results, including the creation of a distinct “Waterfront Committee” at the City Council, the sponsorship of the “Blue Links” campaign to strengthen community-based efforts to revitalize the waterfront, which led to $261 million in Federal funding, and the successful “Design the Edge” project, which demonstrates innovation in transforming the water’s edge, block by block, in a way that is habitat-friendly, safely accessible, and environmentally sustainable.

In 2006, the leaders of MWA and MAS agreed that it was time to build on its solid reputation and strong assets (experiences, large base of support, network of connections, and resource of information and comprehensive data) and spin the project off. We officially became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in November of 2007.

Milestones in the History of the Waterfront Alliance:

2009

Director of programs is hired.
Development director is hired.
The biweekly WaterWire newsletter is redesigned and relaunched.
A Candidate’s Questionnaire on waterfront issues is created and sent to hundreds of candidates for political office in New York and New Jersey.
The MWA web site—www.waterfrontalliance.org—is redesigned and relaunched.
The second annual City of Water Day is planned, with participation from hundreds of organizations, companies and agencies.
MWA co-sponsors the Hudson River Summit, H209 Forum and the Future of the Erie Canal Forum.

2008

The first annual City of Water Day is held on Governors Island, drawing a record-breaking crowd.
The Action Agenda for the Waterfront is formally launched at the 2008 Waterfront Conference.
Six White Papers reflecting the consensus of hundreds of Task Force participants are presented.
Getting to Yes, an initiative to help make the waterfront permitting process smoother and more transparent, is launched.
The Board of Trustees is expanded to 15.

2007

Six task forces—Aquatecture, Green Harbor, Harbor Education, Harbor Recreation, Mass Water Transit and Working Waterfront—are formed, with hundreds of Alliance Partners participating, to set a forward-thinking public agenda for the NY/NJ waterfront.
MWA releases the film "City of Water."
MWA and MAS organize East River Day.
MWA hires its first President and CEO.
Municipal Art Society launches MWA as an independent organization with founding board members Majora Carter, Eugenia Flatow and Pete Seeger.

2006

MWA coordinates successful Blue Links Campaign leading to $261 million in federal funding for waterfront infrastructure.

2005

MWA "Designing the Edge" project re-imagines how our waterfront can be used, bringing government agencies together with scientists, community advocates and other stakeholders in the planning process.

2004