The Waterfront Alliance was started as a project of the Municipal Art Society of New York in 2000 to capitalize on opportunities whose outcomes would have considerable repercussions for the waterfront. Critical land use, regulatory, and environmental decisions being made in this decade will determine how the New York metropolitan area will look and function for years to come, and how future genera
tions are able to access the water and enjoy this great resource that is literally at our doorsteps. As a small, growing entity, MWA was able to accomplish surprising results, including the creation of a distinct “Waterfront Committee” at the City Council, the sponsorship of the “Blue Links” campaign to strengthen community-based efforts to revitalize the waterfront, which led to $261 million in Federal funding, and the successful “Design the Edge” project, which demonstrates innovation in transforming the water’s edge, block by block, in a way that is habitat-friendly, safely accessible, and environmentally sustainable. In 2006, the leaders of MWA and MAS agreed that it was time to build on its solid reputation and strong assets (experiences, large base of support, network of connections, and resource of information and comprehensive data) and spin the project off. We officially became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in November of 2007.
