'Your harbour...your dreams': The impact on housing, work and community through the urban regeneration of the Port Adelaide waterfront redevelopment

Abstract

This paper offers preliminary analysis of the local impacts and sustainability of large-scale urban waterfront regeneration initiatives drawing on international examples generally and the Port Adelaide waterfront redevelopment specifically. The $1.5 billion regeneration of the Port's inner harbour is one of the largest urban waterfront redevelopments in Australia. It is a joint venture between the State Government of South Australia's commercial development-arm the Land Management Corporation (LMC) and Newport Quays (developer consortium). The largely residential property-led project echoes many of the characteristics evident within the regeneration of waterfront landscapes in other Western industrial cities. This study investigates the effects on the pre-existing social structure, built form and economic activity base of the redevelopment area. The paper suggests that the success of this type of urban venture seemingly relies on offering a cosmopolitan exclusive residential-work-leisure lifestyle as an expression of both status and professional occupancy thus potentially exacerbating social and economic differences between new and existing residential areas.