WORLD OF WATERFRONTS
Long Beach Edition 2.0
Reclaiming the Edge:
How Communities Find Their Way to the Water
People have always been drawn to the water. The challenge isn’t generating interest — it’s removing the obstacles that make connection hard.
That’s what the WOW! World of Waterfronts symposium in Long Beach set out to explore. The gathering brought together planners, designers, and placemakers from across North America to look at how cities can make it easier for people to reach, use, and care for their shorelines.
The first WOW! in April 2025 focused on inspiration — what’s possible when a city embraces its edge. This second session went deeper into how to overcome the barriers: fragmented governance, limited budgets, risk aversion, and the gap between vision and day-to-day management.
Through real examples and shared tools, participants looked at how placemaking can create small, scalable wins that build toward long-term access and authenticity.
That’s what the WOW! World of Waterfronts symposium in Long Beach set out to explore. The gathering brought together planners, designers, and placemakers from across North America to look at how cities can make it easier for people to reach, use, and care for their shorelines.
The first WOW! in April 2025 focused on inspiration — what’s possible when a city embraces its edge. This second session went deeper into how to overcome the barriers: fragmented governance, limited budgets, risk aversion, and the gap between vision and day-to-day management.
Through real examples and shared tools, participants looked at how placemaking can create small, scalable wins that build toward long-term access and authenticity.
Wade in the Water:
Our Main Takeaways
1. Beyond the Fence: Overcoming Fear, Liability, and Physical Barriers
Every city says the water is public. Yet our urban waterfronts are wrapped in fences, fees, and fear — fear of liability, fear of crowds, fear of fun.
The takeaway from Long Beach was clear: the invisible barrier isn’t physical — it’s psychological and bureaucratic. If we can’t trust our citizens near the water, how can we ever claim to be a coastal city?
Participants described the Long Beach shoreline as a series of fences — from the metal railings that keep people from touching the water, to the distance between piers and walkways, to the wide roads and walls of tall buildings that block the view entirely.
During site walks, the group identified opportunities for placemaking that tells a story and draws people in — adding beach vignettes and water features that create a narrative pathway toward the shore. They also looked for moments to remove railings and bring people physically closer to the sea.
While liability was cited by officials as a barrier, some participants shared how they’ve tackled it directly — even bringing their insurance brokers to the shoreline to test new ideas and redesign spaces that balance both liability with livability.
Every city says the water is public. Yet our urban waterfronts are wrapped in fences, fees, and fear — fear of liability, fear of crowds, fear of fun.
The takeaway from Long Beach was clear: the invisible barrier isn’t physical — it’s psychological and bureaucratic. If we can’t trust our citizens near the water, how can we ever claim to be a coastal city?
Participants described the Long Beach shoreline as a series of fences — from the metal railings that keep people from touching the water, to the distance between piers and walkways, to the wide roads and walls of tall buildings that block the view entirely.
During site walks, the group identified opportunities for placemaking that tells a story and draws people in — adding beach vignettes and water features that create a narrative pathway toward the shore. They also looked for moments to remove railings and bring people physically closer to the sea.
While liability was cited by officials as a barrier, some participants shared how they’ve tackled it directly — even bringing their insurance brokers to the shoreline to test new ideas and redesign spaces that balance both liability with livability.
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Walking from the downtown core to the shore, our co-designers looked for ways to make the route feel like a story — a sequence of cues and textures that guide you toward the water, even when you can’t yet see it.
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Right now, the waterfront moves people through but doesn’t invite them to stay. Simple additions like sundecks and cabanas could change that — creating a place to linger, relax, and belong.
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In Long Beach, the only way to reach the water is through private docks built for boats. ‘The public should be able to walk right to the edge,’ said TJ Maguire, whose Halifax waterfront projects make physical contact with the water part of the design.
2. Activate — and Honor the People Already There
Urban planners love activation. But in Long Beach, we talked about respect before reinvention.
The city’s fisherfolk, who line the pier every morning and night, are the living soul of the waterfront. They are the daily users, stewards, and storytellers — and yet, they’re invisible in most plans. Participants argued that any new vision must begin with them, not around them.
That means designing for inclusion — shade, seating, storage — and supporting economic opportunity. It also means learning from their intimacy with the tides, winds, and seasons. While developers dream of luring people to the water, these communities have never left it.
As Blair Cohn, local business district leader, put it: “Why aren’t we activating what’s already there?” The existing bandshell could come alive, and the city could lower barriers for event producers already animating the shore — from Salsa at Sunset to the techno gatherings that have emerged organically.
Urban planners love activation. But in Long Beach, we talked about respect before reinvention.
The city’s fisherfolk, who line the pier every morning and night, are the living soul of the waterfront. They are the daily users, stewards, and storytellers — and yet, they’re invisible in most plans. Participants argued that any new vision must begin with them, not around them.
That means designing for inclusion — shade, seating, storage — and supporting economic opportunity. It also means learning from their intimacy with the tides, winds, and seasons. While developers dream of luring people to the water, these communities have never left it.
As Blair Cohn, local business district leader, put it: “Why aren’t we activating what’s already there?” The existing bandshell could come alive, and the city could lower barriers for event producers already animating the shore — from Salsa at Sunset to the techno gatherings that have emerged organically.
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The Nautilus Bandshell is a sunken amphitheater that’s rarely activated. Concerts, performances, or even small shared dinners could bring it to life — turning it into a spontaneous and desirable destination.”
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The Pine Avenue Pier is the epicenter and terminating vista of the waterfront walk — yet it remains a blank space. Retail at the shore is mostly novelty: hot sauce, cotton candy, and souvenir hats. Imagine a market more grounded in daily life — with fresh fish and produce as the anchor tenant.
Michael Knopp of the RIVERSPORT Foundation highlighted the opportunity to center athletic and recreational groups in activating the water — a natural way to lean into the LA28 Olympics.
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At the same time, Long Beach already has its own organic energy — from sunset dancing to techno gatherings along the shore — that aligns with the Mayor’s vision for a “sonic waterfront.” The question now is how to enable and encourage these activities.
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3. The Orgware Revolution
Cities might be good at building hardware (piers, promenades) and commissioning software (events, festivals). But almost no one invests in orgware — the invisible layer of stewardship that makes those things work together
Long Beach surfaced this as a universal problem. Who’s actually in charge of the edge? Is it the port, the parks department, the BID, the city, the county, or the Coast Guard? Often, it’s all of them — and therefore none of them.
Participants called for a new model: a Waterfront Place Management Organization — part clearinghouse, part coalition — to coordinate activation, manage risk, and build shared funding mechanisms. TJ Maguire showed how Halifax used this model to unlock public trust and private investment, while maintaining a civic, not commercial, identity.
Cities might be good at building hardware (piers, promenades) and commissioning software (events, festivals). But almost no one invests in orgware — the invisible layer of stewardship that makes those things work together
Long Beach surfaced this as a universal problem. Who’s actually in charge of the edge? Is it the port, the parks department, the BID, the city, the county, or the Coast Guard? Often, it’s all of them — and therefore none of them.
Participants called for a new model: a Waterfront Place Management Organization — part clearinghouse, part coalition — to coordinate activation, manage risk, and build shared funding mechanisms. TJ Maguire showed how Halifax used this model to unlock public trust and private investment, while maintaining a civic, not commercial, identity.
Ryan Smolar of PlacemakingUS urged Long Beach to establish a place management organization to coordinate investments, programming, policies, and partnerships along the waterfront. Currently, oversight is fragmented across multiple departments — limiting the waterfront’s overall experience, coherence, and value.”
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Amy Cohen from the Port of San Francisco energized the room with her clear grasp of the lane government occupies — and where it often falls short. While city agencies excel at delivering large projects and managing property complexity, Amy showed how genuine progress happens when partners are invited in early and roles are clearly defined.
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4. Pilots Over Politics
The players may put on pressure to “go big.” But the Long Beach group agreed that the most radical thing we can do is start small.
Pop-up markets in parking lots. Concerts on the pier. Kayak meetups at dawn. Bike rides that connect the river to the sea. These aren’t just events — they’re acts of civic proof.
Each small success chips away at bureaucracy and builds the case for larger change. Budget pilots become policy blueprints. Temporary becomes template. As Amy demonstrated in her presentation, when you engage the local trades — the welders, carpenters, and boatbuilders — you turn maintenance into collaboration and procurement into pride.
Her charts mapped shared responsibility like an ecosystem: every department and every person has a role in keeping the shoreline alive.
The players may put on pressure to “go big.” But the Long Beach group agreed that the most radical thing we can do is start small.
Pop-up markets in parking lots. Concerts on the pier. Kayak meetups at dawn. Bike rides that connect the river to the sea. These aren’t just events — they’re acts of civic proof.
Each small success chips away at bureaucracy and builds the case for larger change. Budget pilots become policy blueprints. Temporary becomes template. As Amy demonstrated in her presentation, when you engage the local trades — the welders, carpenters, and boatbuilders — you turn maintenance into collaboration and procurement into pride.
Her charts mapped shared responsibility like an ecosystem: every department and every person has a role in keeping the shoreline alive.
Amy Cohen from the Port of San Francisco highlighted a unique partnership with the Port’s tradespeople to build temporary furniture on-site. The approach enabled iterative testing, authentic design, and a shared sense of pride among everyone involved.
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Julia Flynn, Principal at Street Plans, shared how a summer placemaking project on the Cleveland waterfront went from concept to completion in under seven months — thanks to streamlined coordination by the city’s waterfront organization. Using temporary materials and strong community partnerships, the team made waves and is already preparing for a second successful season.
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5. The Water's Story: From Trash to Triumph
Long Beach’s waterfront has long lived in the shadow of its port — industrial, fenced, and far away. And for many residents, the story is still shaped by dirty water and closed beaches. The fixed breakwater blocks natural flushing, while the city sits at the mouth of the LA River, which carries trash and runoff from across the basin straight into the bay.
That reality is both an ecological and a narrative challenge. When the water looks unsafe, people keep their distance — and the story becomes one of loss instead of belonging.
But stories can change. The city’s new waterfront division is beginning to recast the shoreline as a shared public stage where ecology, economy, and everyday life meet. As the WOW! World of Waterfronts gathering showed, storytelling is a kind of infrastructure too: it shapes what residents believe is possible.
The shift begins with language — from “we used to have a dirty waterfront” to “we’re building a living one.”
Long Beach’s waterfront has long lived in the shadow of its port — industrial, fenced, and far away. And for many residents, the story is still shaped by dirty water and closed beaches. The fixed breakwater blocks natural flushing, while the city sits at the mouth of the LA River, which carries trash and runoff from across the basin straight into the bay.
That reality is both an ecological and a narrative challenge. When the water looks unsafe, people keep their distance — and the story becomes one of loss instead of belonging.
But stories can change. The city’s new waterfront division is beginning to recast the shoreline as a shared public stage where ecology, economy, and everyday life meet. As the WOW! World of Waterfronts gathering showed, storytelling is a kind of infrastructure too: it shapes what residents believe is possible.
The shift begins with language — from “we used to have a dirty waterfront” to “we’re building a living one.”
Shortly after the gathering, Councilmember Duggan — a supporter of the WOW! event — introduced an initiative to improve multi-jurisdictional collaboration and clean up the waterfront by addressing trash flowing from the LA River
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The City of LB's new Pier H Bureau presented the Mayor-led vision to establish a world-class waterfront destination that concentrates Long Beach’s music and entertainment assets along the shore. It’s a bold, top-down strategy, driven by a new “make-it-happen” culture within the Economic Development Department and supported from the highest levels of city leadership.
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Bring US to Your Waterfront
If every coastal city reclaimed just one more swimmable, fishable, hang-out-able edge, we could change how millions experience public life.
WOW! World of Waterfronts is a collaborative workshop and learning network that helps cities do exactly that — not through large-scale development, but through reconnection:
Bring us to your waterfront, and together we’ll map opportunities, test ideas, and prototype ways to make your shoreline more accessible, inclusive, and alive.
Let’s design the edge where your city meets the water — and the people who make it home.
WOW! World of Waterfronts is a collaborative workshop and learning network that helps cities do exactly that — not through large-scale development, but through reconnection:
- between city and sea,
- between agencies and citizens,
- between what we build and what we believe.
Bring us to your waterfront, and together we’ll map opportunities, test ideas, and prototype ways to make your shoreline more accessible, inclusive, and alive.
Let’s design the edge where your city meets the water — and the people who make it home.
