Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance | Your waterfront. Your voice.

An Overview

The product of over 240 organizations and a year of development, the Waterfront Action Agenda prescribes actionable solutions to the many challenges that impact quality of life and the competitiveness of the metropolitan region.

1. A Working Waterfront

As it has been for hundreds of years, the New York Harbor is an important world port. Supporting waterfront industry, shipping and maritime jobs is critical to a more diversified economy for our region. This is especially important in these troubled economic times.

2. Blue Highways

As we struggle with congested roads and an over-taxed transit system, the blue highways offer a viable alternative for transporting goods and people in the metropolitan region. One barge, for example, can transport the cargo carried by 58 tractor-trailers, getting trucks off the road and pollution out of our asthmatic lungs.

3. A Green Harbor

Our waterways are the cleanest they've been in a century, but there is still much work left to do to achieve a safe and healthy environment in and along our rivers, creeks, canals and bays.

4. A Waterfront Town

A waterfront lifestyle in New York? It's not such a farfetched idea. Waterfront parks, esplanades, beaches, fishing piers, boathouses and docks are sprouting up. Extending these attractions to all neighborhoods and creating exciting waterside destinations will create a great waterfront town.

5. A Well Designed Edge

A big box store or a large condominium can lock away our shore line just as effectively as industry, highways and rail once did. A well designed edge will allow for access, safety, maritime use, jobs and fun.

Call to Action

We call upon citizenry and friends of the waterfront to understand the issues outlined in the Waterfront Action Agenda and tell your legislators we will no longer accept a waterfront walled off for the few.
We call upon civic and political leaders to understand these issues and make all short and long-term policy and infrastructure decisions support the goals of the Waterfront Action Agenda.

Bottomline
For too many generations the waterfront has been neglected by government and inaccessible to the public. This has had a significant cost to quality of life to millions of people, the enviroment, the competitiveness of the region, and to the reputation of the our waterfront world-wide. Today, nearly 400 groups stand united to ensure the vision of the Waterfront Action Agenda is carried out.