The Hudson River has long evoked the romantic fantasies of writers, painters and travelers. It has also been the premier passageway for trade dating from prehistory through the 19th century. From these conveyances the waterfront cities developed into major urban industrial centers. The loss of industry and investment in cities in the 20th century brought Hudson River urban centers to the brink of disaster with miles of degraded waterfronts and contaminated sites, urban blight and deteriorated structures.
Today these cities, towns and villages are attempting to turn the neglect and hard times into a renaissance to come back to life with economic and cultural revitalization, public access and recreation, once again focusing on the Hudson River.
Many of these cities, towns and villages have struggling main streets and vacant or underutilized waterfront sites available for redevelopment. How they are redeveloped will determine the nature of those waterfronts and their environmental integrity, the extent of access the public has to the Hudson River, the appearance of the waterfront from those communities and views across the river, as well as the future vitality of the riverfront communities and the Hudson River region as a whole.
Scenic Hudson's Riverfront Communities Program is dedicated to ensuring that development that does occur on the Hudson riverfront is protective of views and public access to the river, complements and strengthens existing town center and is based on sound planning principles through a meaningful public process among stakeholders.
In communities such as Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County and the City of Kingston in Ulster County, our model of conservation and community-based development is being incorporated into the waterfront redevelopment process. Scenic Hudson works with municipalities, citizens, developers, state agencies and other organizations to incorporate public access and resource values into revitalization planning of our waterfronts.
To learn more about Riverfronts visit Overview, In the News, Get Involved and Related Links. |
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| A former brownfield was turned into a 12-acre riverfront park because of a unique partnership with Westchester County the Village of Irvington and Scenic Hudson. |
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