New York, New York, Nov. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the impacts of climate change intensify throughout the nation, communities must protect and enhance all waterways for generations to come. As this challenge grows, strong tools are needed to guide the way. Today, Waterfront Alliance releases WEDG® (Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines) Version 3.0, which will expand applicability of the guidelines to riverine and lacustrine waterways, expanding expectations on what it means to meet the gold standard for waterfront development.
As a national rating system and set of guidelines, WEDG has pushed coastal waterfront sites to be more resilient, ecological, and accessible. With 12 WEDG Verified projects and counting, the revised standard will open up WEDG to inland communities, accommodate fresh waterbodies, update flood hazard requirements, strengthen expectations around community engagement, and much more.
The third generation of WEDG introduces riverine flooding and lacustrine requirements. The standard will update guidance around designing for future adaptability, designing to flood, and other resilience techniques. In the ecology-focused credits, the standard enhances expectations around green infrastructure and nature-based features. Access continues to be an important part of the standard with stronger requirements on stakeholder engagement and workforce development. These are just a small number of the many changes in the new standard.
Conceived in 2015, WEDG has been consulted thousands of times on coastal waterfront projects throughout the United States. The original version of WEDG launched in New York Harbor and some of the earliest WEDG Verified sites are among the most iconic waterfront sites in the world: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Domino Sugar, and Hunter’s Point South. Eventually, the framework was expanded to include coastal waterfront projects nationally.
Local governments across the country have utilized WEDG to shape their waterfronts, incorporating WEDG into existing guidelines or adopting the standard as part of waterfront zoning requirements. In New Rochelle, New York, WEDG is required as part of the zoning process for multi-family developments along the waterfront. In Miami, Florida, the city encourages city waterfront capital projects to use WEDG and includes WEDG in its design guidelines for the Baywalk and Riverwalk.
Testimonials
"WEDG Version 3.0 is now more than ever the national gold standard for waterfront development,” said Waterfront Alliance President and CEO, Cortney Koenig Worrall “WEDG catalyzes climate resilient design and transforms the coastal waterfront landscape in a comprehensive way, unmatched and complementary to standards focused on climate mitigation. By pushing common boundaries of resilience, ecology, and access on the waterfront, WEDG will be the primary tool for sound development along the water across the country."
"The progression of climate change across the nation has resulted in the evolution of WEDG we see today,” said Waterfront Alliance Chief Waterfront Design Officer, Joseph Sutkowi. “With the intensification of heat, precipitation, storm surge, and flooding, WEDG Version 3.0 is critical in protecting our waterfronts and surrounding communities for generations to come. Now is the time to ensure every project is meeting the gold standard for waterfront development. The roots of WEDG are coastal, but the future of WEDG is everywhere."
“We’re pleased that the updated WEDG Version 3.0 guidelines will include updates for riverine waterbodies, flood hazard requirements and community engagement which was included in our Jose Marti project.” said the Mayor of Miami, Francis X. Suarez. “This redevelopment addresses issues that are vitally important to our residents in Little Havana by focusing on sea-level rise and flood protection which is greatly needed in the community along the Miami River.”
“In the face of climate change, WEDG has been a crucial resource for the New York City Economic Development Corporation in developing sustainable, equitable, and resilient waterfront communities across New York City,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President & CEO, Andrew Kimball. “We are proud to work with WEDG to develop bold projects like Bronx Point, the first affordable housing project to be verified through the national WEDG standard, and future home to the Universal Hip Hop Museum with over 2.3 acres of resilient waterfront park. The WEDG guidelines and principles ensures our waterfronts are designed for future adaptability while supporting rigor and creativity across the board.”
“I’m excited that WEDG 3.0 is out, and that we continue to iterate, test and advance innovative and necessary design at the water’s edge that brings intertidal ecosystems, access and resilience to the forefront of planning,” said SCAPE Founder Kate Orff, FASLA. “We have a lot of work to do to heal past mistakes and build the diverse waterfront landscapes of the future. This is a great step in the right direction.”
“As New Yorkers confront more extreme weather events due to climate change, government and our partners need strong data tools to help us reduce flood risk,” said New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director, Elijah Hutchinson. “The WEDG system and guidelines are a critical resource in New York City, helping us protect critical infrastructure and residents of affordable and public housing from coastal storms while ensuring waterfront access and open space.”
“WEDG enables us to demonstrate that our developments are sustainable and responsible. We use the standard to broadcast the value of our sites to the community and stakeholders,” said Two Trees Management Managing Director, External Affairs, Dave Lombino. “Two Trees looks forward to continuing to build its waterfront projects to WEDG standards.”
“ULI and ULI New York are excited to see the Waterfront Alliance continue to expand WEDG’s national presence in line with the recommendations of our collaborative Technical Assistance Panel on the program’s direction,” said Urban Land Institute Head of Urban Resilience, Lindsay Brugger. “Partnering with both the public sector and developers to protect our coastal communities – including those living alongside rivers and lakes – is critical to protecting asset values and creating thriving communities. ULI remains dedicated to leveraging our technical assistance offerings through our network of local district councils to support enhanced coastal resilience across the country.”
"In response to the constantly evolving challenges posed by climate change, the Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines have proven to be an invaluable resource, aiding us in the pursuit of a safer, more inclusive, and sustainable future for our waterfront communities," said Curtis + Rogers Design Studio Principal, Aida Curtis. "WEDG Version 3.0 raises the bar and ensures the protection of all our waterfronts and their adjacent communities for generations to come.”
“Arup is pleased to be working with Waterfront Alliance to build WEDG’s resilient, ecological, and accessible principles into its projects,” said Arup Associate Principal, Americas East Resilience Leader, Ilana Judah. “We are proud to have worked on sites that earned WEDG Verification and that we can advocate for adherence to WEDG with our clients across the country.”
“With rapid social and environmental changes, we need waterfront developments to be more inclusive, nature-positive and to thrive economically. As part of our commitment to climate response at Jacobs, we strive to support our clients by developing more resilient waterfront sites. Guidelines such as WEDG represent a critical step forward, expanding the guidelines to inland communities.” said Jacobs Americas Coastal Resilience Director, Luce Bassetti.
“As the impacts of climate change intensify throughout the U.S., communities must protect waterways now and for future generations. Our team at Indigo River was thrilled to collaborate with Waterfront Alliance to develop WEDG Version 3.0 as a tool to address this growing challenge and extend the guidelines to riverine and lacustrine waterways,” said Indigo River Founder & CEO, Dena Prastos. “The revised standard will set a higher bar for sustainable waterfront development to be more resilient, ecological, and accessible today and in the future.”
“As cities reimagine waterfronts for open space, walkability, and new industries like offshore wind, WEDG is an indispensable tool for ensuring we create resilient, equitable spaces. The WEDG on-demand professionals course is a crucial training resource for our team, enhancing our community impact analysis for government agencies and developers building along the waterfront,” said Karp Strategies, Founding Principal and CEO, Rebecca Karp. “Our commitment to equity-driven development aligns with the guiding principles set by WEDG, which provide a future-focused framework for balancing recreational waterfront access, climate resilience and maritime use in development. We are proud to utilize its updated toolkit to inform our work.”
“WEDG 3.0 will be a critical tool for responsible offshore wind developers who seek to go above and beyond when designing ports and coastal infrastructure to mitigate ecological impacts and support climate resiliency,” said Invenergy Leading Light Wind Director of External Engagement, Mike Porto. “We’re excited to have committed to pursuing WEDG Verification for the Leading Light Wind project to help ensure environmental and public access benefits in the waterfront communities where we operate.”
"The Waterfront Alliance's continued efforts in developing, maintaining and expanding the Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines over the last decade have set the standard for holistic design approaches for resilient waterfront infrastructure, with the release of WEDG 3.0 continuing to provide designers, engineers and waterfront developers a clear path to maximizing the functionality and value of our waterfronts,” said ECOncrete CEO and Cofounder, Dr. Ido Sella. “Our WEDG certified professionals at ECOncrete look forward to the continued use of this pertinent guidance in their engagement with stakeholders as we continue our mission to support the development of our waterfronts."
“The Waterfront Alliance’s Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines program provides user-friendly, accessible ways to design for climate resilience, public enjoyment, and ecosystems, at our water’s edge,” said Environmental Defense Fund Director of Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds, New York – New Jersey, Kate Boicourt. “With a rapidly changing climate and increasing flood hazards across the nation, we need tools like WEDG to help guide how to design for both today and tomorrow in a way that benefits people and nature.”
“This is a significant advancement from WEDG 2.0.,” said Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning in New York City Executive Director Bob Balder. “With scientific and evidence-driven rigor, WEDG 3.0 distills the most critical concepts of resilient and sustainable waterfront development into a tool for communities and project teams.”
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Waterfront Alliance is a U.S. based nonprofit organization with a growing coalition of more than 1,100 partners and shared goal: to bring about real change to shorelines, waterfronts, and coastlines across the nation and in the New York-New Jersey region. Together, we build, transform, revitalize, and protect accessible waterfronts for all communities.
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