Development on the Waterfront

New York City is in a constant state of development, and nowhere is this more visible than on our waterfront. On June 16, join Open House New York for a sunset boat tour to explore the transformation of New York City’s waterfront during the 21st Century. A combination of zoning changes, powerful public-private partnerships, and large-scale coastal resiliency projects have changed entire stretches of the waterfront over the past 25 years, reshaping who lives, works, and recreates along the water’s edge.

The tour will travel along the west side of Manhattan, examining the policy changes and investment decisions behind Hudson Yards, the High Line, and the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan. From there, the tour will explore the western edge of Queens and Brooklyn, from Long Island City to Sunset Park, offering a sweeping view of a waterfront in the midst of reinvention. Participants will see the adaptive reuse of industrial sites into mixed-use developments, learn about the growth of green manufacturing amid a changing industrial sector, and witness a billion-dollar investment in coastal resiliency.

The tour will be led by urban planner and licensed New York City tour guide Moses Gates, who will unpack some of the city’s most visible planning debates. With the harbor as the vantage point, participants will learn about the zoning, policy, and planning decisions that have reinvented our waterfront over the past 25 years—and gain an inside look at what’s to come.