Future of Brooklyn Waterfront Focus of October 26 Conference

Newswise — Brooklyn, NY -- One of the open questions still facing New York City is what to do with Brooklyn’s waterfront. During the pause in development activity caused by the economic downturn, there is time to plan strategically and creatively for the waterfront’s contested future. Should it be residential, commercial, recreational, or industrial -- and if industrial, what industries? Can there be a blend of uses? Within the past decade, there have been major residential and recreational developments. Is there still the possibility for maritime uses? If so, what kind?

These and related questions have been addressed by two research fellows of New York City College of Technology’s (City Tech’s) Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center in reports that will be released at an October 26th morning conference in Brooklyn’s Borough Hall, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The conference, “The Waterfront -- A Brooklyn Model for Preservation and Change,” will have keynote speakers and panelists addressing these and other issues related to the future of the Brooklyn waterfront.

“What we do along the Brooklyn waterfront,” said City Tech Professor Richard E. Hanley, director of the Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center, “will shape the way New Yorkers live, work, and play for generations.”

The morning conference will open with keynote addresses, first from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and then from Nicholas Brooke, chairman of the Hong Kong Harbourfront Commission. Other speakers and panelists will include Seth Pinsky, president of the NYC Economic Development Corporation; Kenneth D. Daly, New York president for National Grid; Bonnie Harken, president of Nautilus International Development and a leading consultant for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Regina Myer, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation; Michael Marrella, director of waterfront and open space planning, NYC Department of City Planning; Carter Craft, principal of Outside New York and co-founder of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance; and Roland Lewis, chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance.

The Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center was established by City Tech in 2010 with a three-fold mission: to support faculty research on topics related to the Brooklyn waterfront; to help faculty develop place-based interdisciplinary curriculum; and to offer public lectures, seminars and forums that inform public dialogue on issues related to Brooklyn's historic waterfront. WHAT: The Waterfront -- A Brooklyn Model for Preservation and Change WHEN: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 8:30 a.m. -- 12:30 p.m. WHERE: Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209

For more information or to make press arrangements, please contact: Brendan O'Malley, program coordinator, Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center, 917.208.9294.