ABSTRACT
In the last ten to twenty years we have seen a proliferation of literature on waterfront development (e.g., Pries 2008; Schubert 2001; Hoyle 1990, 1988). In this literature, waterfront development is often presented as a way of bringing new uses into the city. It is argued that waterfront redevelopment projects open up formerly inaccessible industrial areas to the city (Priebs 1992). The fl agship developments and outstanding architecture that can be realized on these new waterfronts are seen as an opportunity to increase the international recognition of a city. This is all true for the South Boston Waterfront, which was previously an industrial harbour and has for more than twenty years been in the sights of urban planners, who would like to rebuild it as an attractive urban district (Boston Redevelopment Authority [BRA] 1999).
