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Amsterdam ’s residential Canal Neighborhoods offers the best model for Camden, NJ ’s redevelopment.

Camden ’s great assets are its superb location, transportation assets, traditional urban grid and waterfront. Camden’s waterfront has become such a magnet for redevelopment that one wishes Camden had one hundred waterfronts. Fortunately it can. By cutting a canal every two block’s along the waterfront, three blocks deep. Amsterdam offers the model.  See for yourself.     More Photo's      Amsterdam Canal Photos

Canals can be built deep enough for river faring Water Taxi’s and small pleasure craft, and shallow enough to reduce or eliminate the potential for water tragedies. (About 3 ½ ft. deep.)

In the Wintertime, the water level can be lowered and kept shallow for ice skating by a simple loch at the rivers edge. Imagine a residential canal lit and decorated for Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July or Christmas. Imagine the spectacle and pageantry of decorated gondola's and other small boats parading on holidays and festivals.

Footbridges at the rivers edge arched over every canal entrance will maintain an uninterrupted pleasant waterfront walk. A footbridge should be placed every inland block keeping neighborhoods connected.

High density build out puts "eyes on the neighborhood," and, combined with canal moating, creates ideal conditions for crime prevention, safety, patrol and control. 

Only going into the mainland three blocks greatly reduces the need to buy up existing residential and business properties and costly eminent domain fights.

At the inland terminus of the canals, a dedicated Jitney / Bus,  monorail or rail transit space can move people quickly to and from the Rand Transportation Center. 

An urban residential canal, combined with Camden's other unique assets,  will give Camden an exclusive, elegant and attractive residential competitive advatange over all other regional choices.

                                                                                    - Michael McAteer