Grassroots group transforming Corpus Christi waterfront

Destination Bayfront group

Vilas Bhuchar, Dec 13, 10.

A grassroots group of citizens called Destination Bayfront is working with the City of Corpus Christi and hundreds of interested citizens to build a world class waterfront in its downtown, according to Project for Public Spaces (PPS).

Hundreds of community members attended public meetings throughout 2010, and citizens gathered to build a common vision for the different kinds of activities and improvements that could occur on the waterfront site, notes the story, which adds that ideas have included seawater slides off the jetty, farmers markets, and boardwalks with local performers and artists.

PPS, which led a similar process in Houston for the organizers of Discovery Green, helped guide some of Destination Bayfront’s activities, according to the story, and created a Placemaking at Destination Bayfront report highlighting the goals and vision of the waterfront project.

“It can become so exciting, it can change the perception of Corpus Christi from a city that’s very quiet to a city that has a lot of dimensions to it, that’s really one of the great cities in Texas,” said PPS President and founder Fred Kent in the story.

If executed correctly, the project could create a public gathering place for Corpus Christi residents and improve the city’s economy, adds the story:

In recent years, waterfronts have once again become the focus of redevelopment for many cities, this time as priceless public spaces, and there have been both successes and failures. Although some cities have managed to avoid common pitfalls and have created great destinations on their waterfronts, many more have not. The pitfalls range from privatizing the waterfront with high rise residential or fortress type convention centers to planting swaths of green space that provide few opportunities for people to use them.

The best waterfronts are developed primarily as public destinations and are strong economic engines that support local businesses. They have succeeded by creating highly accessible, multi-use destinations that include green spaces but are not exclusively defined by them. They use the tried and true approach of focusing on creating a place that attracts residents first, knowing that tourists want to be where they can experience how a real community lives.

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Photo credit: qnr