The Importance of Infrastructure Development - Essay Example

Urban waterfront Developments Coeur d Alene Resort,College North Idaho College www.thebackup.com/ www.preferredhotels.com (Community Research, n.d) “It has become apparent that urban waterfronts, whether natural or artificial, are now prime pieces of real estate, essential ingredients in forming a community image, valuable stages for architectural display and great places for public recreation” (Community Research, n.d)Water and water sources like sea, river, streams etc always attract people towards them. The cool wind and the beautiful scenes provided by water sources are always comfortable and it has a soothing effect on people under the current stressful world. Real estate developers always keen in developing the property near to the sea or river because of the above facts. Luxury hotels and apartments are normally located nearer to the waterfronts in order to give the inhabitants the pleasure of watching waterfronts. There are lot of economic and political factors attached with urban waterfront development projects. Moreover, social activities and public enjoyment are other factors which influence the real estate developers to look for sights near to the water sources in order to develop their properties. Economic development and political forces “If the mayor of a large city wanted to encourage existing firms to expand their operations and new firms to migrate to a given city, the traditional approach would be to provide low-cost land through urban renewal, tax abatements or subsidized loan as to encourage construction, and/or to provide new infrastructure” (Moss, 1999) Urban development has an important role in boosting the economic development. No investors will ready to invest in cities which are underdeveloped. Transportation facilities, power, water supply, real estate developments through land and building etc are the basic requirement for the development of industries which controls the economy of a city or a country. Real estate developers often look for better sights in order to develop land and the buildings. Riverside and seashores always attract real estate developers because of the better prospects of selling out their developed properties. The simple psychology behind selecting land near the waterfronts is that people always like the majestic touch of sea wind or river wind which are cool and have soothing effect. Pittsburghs Point Park, Pennsylvania is a good example for how a slum can be developed into an advanced city by utilizing the sea resources of the city. At present luxury apartments, villas, hotels and many other infrastructure facilities has been developed around this area and it is one of the major economically developed cities in Pennsylvania at present. Pittsburghs Point Park (Community Research,n.d) “Pittsburghs Point Park, Pennsylvania is a reclaimed commercial slum turned into waterfront promenades featuring views, and a massive water feature for all ages. The 36 acres of the park include an historic preservation area with natural landscaping, connection to city linear trails, and a historical museum. Park features include rest rooms, ADA access, seating, wildlife habitat, picnic areas, and welcome pets” (Community Research, n.d) Economic development always has a strong relationship with the political forces. It is difficult for a city to develop economy single handedly without seeking the aid of political forces. Political forces area the ultimate decision makers who decide how much money need to spend on each project and which are needed to develop more. Because of the constant interaction between economy and political forces a term called political economy is often used in the economic circles. “Political economy affects urban development in three major ways; First much urban developments are controlled by private developers, Second, those who ready to invest definitely have influence on the political circle, Third, much of the conflicts in urban areas are due to the competition between the haves and the have-nots in the economic system which plays itself out in the political arena (Kweit and Kweit, 1999, p.44) Most of the investors who invest in urban waterfront developments are from private parties. They need political support for utilizing the seashores and riversides. Thus political forces are strongly involved in urban waterfront developments also. “One of the most complex aspects of waterfront development is the integration of water with site infrastructure. Utility supply, transport, site access and pollution issues can be key constraints to development in the planning of marinas and harbours or on difficult regeneration projects based around lagoons or river basins” (Waterfront development) the design and development of the waterfront projects involve lot of complex activities. The main issue is the integration of the project without causing any damage to the eco system. Social activities Waterfronts provide an excellent place to live, enjoy art, recreate, shop, or relax by the water. Waterfront areas provide multiuse activities; improve social interaction and a sense of community (Community Research, n.d) Apartments are mostly constructed near the waterfront areas along with luxury hotels and villas. These luxurious apartments are expensive generally and only the rich people normally make use of such apartments and villas. In fact these apartments are used by people from different communities and regions and hence variety of social activities can be witnessed around such urban development waterfront areas. People with busy life styles and work schedules normally utilize such apartments developed near the waterfronts for metal relaxation. So facilities for leisure time activities and public gathering will be arranged near these apartments by the property developers. Social activities club, gym, sports and physical workout areas, gardens etc will be arranged by the property developers across the waterfront areas. Public enjoyment “People have found that parks at the waterfront function as an ideal recreational combination. The new trend is the reclamation of historical waterfronts from years of dereliction to mixed used development, including waterfront parks. Many cities have already successfully made this transition. Kuching waterfront in Malaysia is one such example. (Ali & Nawawi, n.d. p.2) Water theme parks are one of the modern attractions for the public because of the variety of enjoyment facilities it offers to the tourists and the inhabitants near to it. Irrespective of culture, region or religion, river views, sea views and beaches often offer enjoyment and comfort to the public. Rest rooms, Water & Food: drinking fountains, food vendors at mealtimes & weekends, Transportation to park/within park, Parking space etc are some of the common facilities attached to urban waterfront development projects. Conclusions Urban waterfront development is one of the main real estate activities undertaken by real estate developers because of its immense business prospects. Busy and rich people always like apartments near waterfronts because of the immense pleasure and relaxation it gives to the inhabitants. Economic development directly related to the urban development and infrastructure development. Political forces have a major role in every economic development process and waterfront development is also not an exception. Social activities and public enjoyment opportunities are attached with every waterfront development projects. References 1. Ali Salina Mohamed, Nawawi Abdul Hadi, (n.d), Retrieved on 26 August 2009 from http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:6MKpbZIIcwwJ:programm.corp.at/cdrom2009/papers2009/CORP2009_15.pdf+Social+activities+around+waterfront&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk 2. Community Research, (n.d), , Retrieved on 26 August 2009 from http://www.class.uidaho.edu/communityresearch/waterfront_development.htm 3. Kweit Robert W.,& Kweit Mary Grisez, (1999), People and politics in urban America Retrieved on 26 August 2009 from http://books.google.com/books?id=S9h5Ep-hCSAC&dq=political+forces+in+urban+developments&source=gbs_navlinks_s 4. Moss Mitchell, (1999), Urban Development in a Global Economy, Retrieved on 26 August 2009 from http://www.mitchellmoss.com/books/urbdev.html 5. Waterfront development, (2005), Retrieved on 26 August 2009 from http://www.burohappold.com/BH/SCT_waterfrontdev.aspx Read More