Waterfront Alliance envisions waterways and coastlines that are resilient to the impacts of climate change, publicly accessible to residents and visitors, alive with commerce and recreation, and overall, reflect the vitality and diversity of the communities that surround them.
To achieve that vision, we have material programs that work directly with public school students and teachers to teach climate and environmental curriculum and get students out to their local waterfronts. We verify waterfront and shoreline projects to ensure they are built with resilience, ecology, and public access in mind. We work directly with residents and community leaders to create more climate-informed communities. And, of course, we have a 19-year history of fighting to break physical and social barriers to waterfront access and a for a strong, green maritime industry.
Beyond our suite of programs, we also advocate and shape policy to improve our waterfronts and the communities around them.
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This 2026 platform—our third annual formal policy platform—is designed as a practical and inspiring roadmap for both the public and elected leaders who can help us shape critical waterfront decisions across our region.
It outlines clear priorities for the waterfronts, shorelines, and coastal communities of New York City, New York State, and New Jersey, recognizing that our waterways and climate risks transcend jurisdictional boundaries. The platform is built to encourage regional collaboration, align actions across governments, and support communities to advocate for the resilient future they deserve.
The last two iterations of platform (from 2024 and 2025) followed policy recommendations based on Waterfront Alliance program areas, like climate change, climate and estuary education, public waterfront access, and working waterfront.
In 2026, we revamped.
The new Waterfront Alliance Policy Priorities follow key themes, or “Action Area,” that link our policy and program priorities together. The Action Area’s are: Leadership, Planning, and Governance; Funding and Investment; Physical Infrastructure; and Social Infrastructure.
Each Action Area also now includes our Top 2 priorities, which are indicated by a blue box in the platform. From developing innovative and self-sustaining funding strategies for climate resilience infrastructure to expanding marine freight and ferry service, our 2026 Platform covers the full spectrum of goals for the future of the New York-New Jersey Harbor region.
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This platform also builds on Waterfront Alliance’s Embracing the Waterfront: First 100 Days Priorities for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, which our new President and CEO, Julie Raskin, wrote about in the NY Daily News.
Waterfront Alliance is committed to building excitement where water meets land. For a deeper dive into our 2026 Policy Priorities, please join us on for our next Waterfront Webinar on March 24 from 12-1 PM to hear in-real-time updates directly from our staff.
