Maritime Mile

Futurecity and pioneering landscape design consultancy Growth Industry were appointed to devise a Development and Animation Strategy for the Maritime Mile, Northern Ireland’s leading heritage waterfront destination. This mile-long stretch of the River Lagan is the place where the city began, where people dreamed big and led the world in maritime engineering. Today, people come to reflect upon that heritage and use it as inspiration to think big– bringing cutting edge innovations in science, research, media and technology back to the Mile alongside Northern Ireland’s leading tourist destinations.

Following an in-depth consultation process with the district’s key stakeholders, the Maritime Mile vision was developed to build upon the strong heritage of maritime endeavours, solidifying the district as a place where visitors and locals alike can explore, discover and learn about the history of Belfast’s harbour and the engineering prowess that put it on the global map. The Mile will be a place where generations of dreamers come to make their mark through authentic design, activation and invention that celebrates Belfast’s future as well as its maritime heritage.

A set of 12 bespoke principles and themes underpin the vision to provide a clear filter system for a proposed programme of cultural initiatives. A new connectivity framework, the Links in the Chain, show how each stakeholder can retain their unique character while working together to form a vibrant and varied waterfront destination. The Development and Activation Strategy also proposes a varied programme of cultural initiatives – ranging from landscape improvements and bespoke street furniture to artist residencies and new public art commissions.

The Maritime Mile is already moving to delivery with pilot projects underway like ‘Hello Maritime Mile’ and new opportunities for site specific commissions. 

Photo Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 William Murphy