The redevelopment of New York’s waterfront has created unprecedented opportunities to build new housing and bring people back to the water’s edge. Bonnie A. Harken moderated a panel on New Waterfront Housing: Brooklyn and Queens which explored the unique planning and architectural challenges of today’s waterfront residences and what makes for successful waterfront housing. Panelists ranged from Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica on the Queens West Development to Dan Kaplan of FXFowle on the Northside Piers in Greenpoint/Williamsburg, both under construction. Sustainable Planning and Design means many different things to different people. Bonnie A. Harken recently moderated a panel on what it means to be sustainable at the 25th Annual International Waterfront Conference. Speakers discussed large-scale urban waterfronts from the 32-mile master plan for the Los Angeles River to Detroit’s watershed and the award-winning "Floating Gardens" on Yongning River in China. Bonnie A. Harken moderated a panel discussion on Mixed Use Waterfronts: Blending Commerce, Culture and the Public Realm at the international Waterfront Center conference in Portland, OR. Among the award-winning projects showcased at the panel were Granville Island in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Sydney’s Darling Harbour, and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Shoreline. Bonnie A. Harken recently spoke at the National APA Planning Conference in San Antonio for a panel discussion: Citizen Voice in Rebuilding Lower Manhattan Since 9/11 As the leader of the NY Metro Chapter’s response in the aftermath of 9/11 and co-founder of the influential professional coalition, NewYorkNewVisions, Harken played a powerful role in rebuilding Lower Manhattan. She spoke on the impacts of the terrorist attacks and the important role of planners. Click here to visit the conference website. At the 2005 United Nation’s Symposium about Sustainable Development in Nanchang, China, Bonnie A. Harken had the honor of speaking on Reshaping Urban Waterfronts -- how to reshape waterfront sites to create sustainable urban environments while meeting the complex needs of 21st century cities. Harken also moderated a panel on Planning Urban Development at this Symposium which was attended by delegates from over 35 countries. Read summary. Bonnie A. Harken also moderated a panel discussion entitled Waterparks: Designing Waterfront Parks and Public Spaces in August 2005 at the Urban Center. Panelists included four leading waterfront open space innovators: Donna Walcavage, designer of Stuyvesant Cove Park; Michael Samuelian, Department of City Planning project manager for the Lower Manhattan East River Plan; Thomas Balsley, designer of Gantry Plaza State Park; and Jonathan Kirschenfeld, designer of a floating pool for the East River.