Mersey Waterfront will take centre-stage at WaterfrontExpo 2005 in Riga, Latvia, Tuesday 27- Thursday 29 September.
This international event will bring together hundreds of experts in waterfront design, construction, management and sustainable development from a diverse range of waterfront locations including Hong Kong, Helsinki, Mumbai, and Athens.
The Liverpool delegation is flying to Riga on the inaugural Ryanair flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The group includes Louise Hopkins, Director of Mersey Waterfront - the regeneration programme funded through the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and hosted by The Mersey Partnership (TMP). She will be making a joint presentation alongside Jim Gill, Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision, on the major opportunities the Merseyside coastline offers to investors, visitors and residents.
Riga itself has striking parallels with Liverpool; it is a waterfront city which was Capital of Culture in 2001, also it’s 800th anniversary year, and incorporates part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“WaterfrontExpo is a key opportunity to share current thinking and experience about waterfront regeneration and development worldwide,” says Louise Hopkins. “It also provides us with a global platform to showcase Mersey Waterfront’s unique mix of green spaces and urban locations along 135km of coastline, ranging from a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to working docks, sand dunes, coastal woodlands and Victorian promenades.
“The Mersey Waterfront programme is currently funding and co-ordinating over 40 regeneration and environmental improvement projects, transcending local authoritiy boundaries. Our presentation at Riga will highlight how these diverse but interconnected schemes along the wider coastline can add value to major riverside developments like Liverpool’s Kings Waterfront.”
Jim Gill, Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision, added; “The Mersey Waterfront is a major asset to the city of Liverpool. Our strategy for the regeneration of the City Centre waterfront will bring major economic and cultural benefits to the city and the wider region. "We are looking forward to the Riga conference. It is pleasing to know that other European cities are keen to use Liverpool's experience as a model for their own regeneration."
