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Affiliation(s)

Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

ABSTRACT

Location in the New York-New Jersey metropolis of over 20 million people limits what small urban governments can do when changing regional and national conditions destabilize their economic and social status. Weehawken (0.78 square miles) and Perth Amboy (4.6 square miles), have responded to deindustrialization and increasing suburbanization by (1) negotiating with business to facilitate developer earnings while preserving some but not all previous community priorities; (2) decisively responding to environmental threats; and (3) maintaining communications with their residents and state government. Both are on paths to sustainable waterfront redevelopment, yet with more obstacles to face.

KEYWORDS

climate change, community engagement, economic imperative, environmental remediation, urban redevelopment

Cite this paper

Michael R. Greenberg. (2026). Searching for Paths to a Sustainable Urban Waterfront Community: Weehawken and Perth Amboy, New Jersey. History Research, August 2026, Vol. 8, No. 8, 483-500.

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