The opportunities and significance of New York's waterfront resources are best understood from four perspectives: the developed waterfront, the natural waterfront, the public waterfront, and the working waterfront. Each waterfront has its own intrinsic value, its own set of concerns and constraints, but they are critically entwined and found together throughout New York's waterfronts.

One way of organizing information as you assess your waterfront is to use these perspectives. For each type of waterfront, different information is needed, there are different questions to answer during a waterfront assessment, and different types of approaches will be needed to realize your vision, enhance your waterfront and revitalize your community.