Forging sustainable urban futures for Asian cities through urban waterfront regeneration: comparative studies in Colombo, Bangkok and Singapore

Abstract

Urban watenvqys and wateifronts have alwqys plqyed an important role in the earlY development of Asian cities. However, over time, ma1!)1of them have becomepolluted, abandoned and derelict. Nonetheless, thry remain relevant to the social, economic and in matry instances, political and cultural life of cities. The challengefor planners is not onlY to revitalize these areas to reclaim their rightful roles and functions in the city, but also to harness their potential positive contribution to a more sustainable future for Asian cities. In this paper, we develop and applY a conceptual framework to anaiyse and define what constitutes succesiful and sustainable outcomes of urban waterfront reneu/al, primarilY through the lenses of community participation. Three case studies have been selected for this analysis from the cities of Singapore, Bangkok and Colombo. In examining these cases we asked how economic imperatives can be balanced with social and cultural sensitivity, while addressing critical environmental and infrastructural challenges, as well as the role of the local community in all these aspects. The paper concludes that local community involvement is important toforge a sustainable urban vision lvhile recognizing that this can take matryforms.