October 28, 2025
RSM Design’s International Waterfronts: Strategies for Vibrant Placemaking
BY JEFF HERTZLER, DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, WITH HARRY MARK, FAIA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
An international team of strategists and designers at RSM Design have been busy over the past few years focusing on creative ways to successfully implement placemaking principles into a number of developing waterfront transformations. The team is currently collaborating on waterfront developments in the following varied locations:
Durrës, Albania
Riga, Latvia
Tangier, Morocco
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
In each location the unique cultural and physical contexts play a vital role in how these previously industrial waterfronts are being reclaimed as vibrant destinations that are also seamlessly integrated into the urban fabric of the city. Generous waterfront promenades and pedestrian paseos weave through the landscape with a variety of retail offerings, cafes, and restaurants that provide diverse and elevated experiences. These projects are all similar in that they aim to redefine coastal urban living, offering a dynamic mix of recreational spaces, family-friendly activities, and an exclusive retail scene, solidifying these new destinations as vibrant and multi-faceted destinations for new residents and international visitors.
Durrës Waterfront, Durrës, Albania
Key Objectives for the Waterfront Transformations
The team has focused the strategy on four key goals and objectives for the waterfront developments:
One. Define a retail leasing and merchandising strategy.
Develop a strategy for the overall site that focuses on the distribution of a retail and restaurant mix in coordination with the architectural character and public realm.
Two. Identify unique spaces, zones, and experiences across the site.
Create a dynamic, engaging, and memorable environment that sets the development apart from competition through distinct district zones that speak to multiple users and needs.
Three. Develop an engaging guest experience and placemaking opportunities.
Enhance the overall guest experience, create a sense of belonging, and encourage visitors to stay longer through engaging organized events, regular activations, and a robust public art program that reflects the culture of the community.
Four. Expand the brand into the built environment.
Infuse the brand identity, aesthetic and values into the physical environment to reinforce the development’s unique character through a cohesive wayfinding system, architectural enhancements, and streetscape elements.
Tanja Waterfront, Tangier, Morocco
A VISION OF COMMERCE, CONNECTION, AND COMMUNITY
Creating a holistic and cohesive tenant mix is crucial for any successful commercial development. By carefully curating a diverse range of businesses that not only understand the local culture but also cater to the preferences and needs of both neighboring residents and distance visitors, a vibrant and thriving community can be fostered. Such an approach not only enhances the overall appeal of the area, but also ensures sustained foot traffic and patronage, benefitting both the tenants and the surrounding community.
By creating curated mix of sought-after global brands and unique local retailers that reflect the diverse lifestyles of consumers, retail environments become more than mere transactional spaces; they evolve into immersive hubs that align with individuals’ preferences, aspirations, and daily rhythms, fostering a sense of connection and relevance in the fabric of their lives.
Riga Waterfront, Riga, Latvia
PROGRAMMING AND ACTIVATIONS THAT CULTIVATE COMMUNITY
Curated events and activations bring people together through a sense of community and shared experiences. These activities can range from live music events, outdoor movie screenings, farmers markets, and fitness classes, so seasonal festivals and art installations. They provide opportunities for visitors and residents to come together, socialize, and enjoy shared experiences. This sense of community is vital in creating a strong brand identity for the project, fostering loyalty and repeat visits.
Strategically placed and artistically designed placemaking graphics along pedestrian streets infuse the area with vibrancy, telling a visual story that reflects the community’ identity and invites pedestrians to engage with the environment.
Riga Waterfront, Riga, Latvia
PLAZAS, PARKS, PASEOS, AND PROMENADES
Where people gather, connections are made. Intimacy comes not from tight spaces but creating a sense of comfort and engaging experiences that connect people to culture and community to place. By focusing on creating unique spaces, surprising paths and destinations with purpose across the development, each unique waterfront development is able to curate a diverse collection of tenant and create engaging programming, placemaking, and activations that resonate with culture and the needs of the community.
Ramhan Marina Island, Ramhan Island, UAE
DEFINING THE SITE AND CREATING DESTINATIONS
In an urban waterfront development, it is important to clearly identify the site by defining its edges and guide the guest to where they need to go. The arrival experience is the first physical interaction that a guest has with the project and it is critical to not only help them orient themselves quickly but create a strong and immediate connection of the site and the brand. This comes from an expansion of the brand components into naming and districting in order to break up the site into unique and distinct destinations, as well as translating the brand into the built environment through signage, graphics, and art.
Tanja Waterfront, Tangier, Morocco
Key Insights for Waterfront Mixed-Use Transformations
One. Activate key arterial boulevards through the development as lifestyle retail-focused promenades offering a captivating and vibrant experience for both the local community and visitors. Showcasing lifestyle retail as the primary tenant mix creates a more welcoming and accessible experience for all users, rather then just seeking luxury offerings. Transforming a central thoroughfare into an activated and dynamic streetscape elevates it beyond mere transportation.
Two. Ensure there are key gathering spaces or landmark plazas off the waterfront and centrally located within the development. This central plaza serves as a key gathering space and heart of the community. In concert with surrounding retail streets, fill the plaza with primarily F&B tenants to activate the space and provide room for the community to gather and connect.
Three. By strategically locating restaurants, cafes, and bars along the water’s edge rather than retail, the development is able to activate the space and take advantage of the coastal views, offering patrons a unique and memorable dining experience.
Four. Curate the luxury retail offerings within a defined experience that creates a strong ambiance in the synergy of the retailers. The intimate scale of a paseo, for example, can be a place where exclusivity meets accessibility, where customers aren’t merely shoppers but are participants in a carefully curated narrative of luxury and sophistication. This environment not only showcases high-end products but also cultivates a sense of belonging and indulgence, making it an engaging destination that transcends traditional retail encounters.
Five. Don’t forget the locals. Create a designated shared space focusing on the community’s practical necessities, breathing life into the concept of convenience and accessibility. By integrating essential services like grocers, pharmacies, cafes, and other daily-use establishments, it offers a seamless and efficient way for residents to access their everyday needs. This localized approach not only fosters a sense of community but also enhances the area’s functionality, making it a cohesive and vital part of one’s daily routine.
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