Abstract:
WEDG® (Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines) is the gold standard for resilient, ecologically-sound, and accessible projects that touch the water's edge. WEDG is a national rating system that has verified projects that include everything from industrial facilities in the Bronx and mixed-use developments in Brooklyn to public park space in North Carolina. From intricate ecosystems to overlapping jurisdictions and land use policies, working waterfront design is complex, even for the most seasoned planners, practitioners, and communities, and is becoming even more so with the growing risk of coastal flooding due to sea level rise. With help from hundreds of experts in design, science, community development, engineering, and insurance— the Waterfront Alliance developed WEDG, a science-based voluntary rating system and set of guidelines to address these challenges at the project scale. In this presentation, we’ ll share an overview of the WEDG standards, discuss its application on working waterfronts, and discuss how city and state agencies can utilize them to influence development on their waterfronts.