Waterfront Visions: landscape architecture visions of a free-flowing lower Snake River

When developed with foresight and community values in mind, waterfronts have provided many cities and towns the foundations for creating economic synergy and livable cities.  Thoughtfully developed waterfronts can mean access for recreation and relaxation, public space that pull people together, uniting green and public spaces with urban energy.

The Lewiston Clarkston Valley in southeastern Washington is no exception.  The Clearwater and Snake Rivers offer extraordinary potential to create livable, public spaces that enhance economic development.

In 2009, a class of WSU Landscape Architecture students studied the Lewiston Waterfront and developed a series of design concepts that serve as a starting point for envisioning the opportunities that a free flowing waterfront presents.   After studying social, environmental dynamics, talking to residents, and experts they developed water front design concepts that can be used to:

• Start a community dialogue on the kinds of opportunities and benefits that a restored waterfront might provide.
• Generate ideas about the kinds of infrastructure needs and developments and investments that would be needed for the communities of Clarkston and Lewiston to put these communities in an advantageous economic position were the Federal government to remove the four lower Snake River dams.
• In one case, the designs outline a scenario of expanding levees for flood protection and enable citizens to envision what their community might look like if the USACE affects a solution of levee raising.

Visit www.workingsnakeriver.org/waterfronts to see more innovative and creative ideas for Lewiston’s downtown waterfront.