Learning from Camden, Maine - Main Street, Waterfront, and More

Camden is a picturesque town on the water in Maine with a number of wonderful attributes. As a tourist town, a second home, and a retirement community for many, Camden is full of people who love to explore it and who find many reasons to walk, eat, shop, and hang out in its streets on a daily basis.

The Camden waterfront, library, and park, as well as the Main Street and its surrounding neighborhoods enjoy a steady flow of people and foot traffic throughout the year. The town also has iconic ice cream shops that despite being well hidden, people love to discover. It is full of memorable destinations around every corner.

Here are a few reasons why Camden works so well and how, like any small town, a it could work even better.

Great Existing Assets in Camden

Camden's Porches

Porches are common in most of Camden's neighborhoods, including along the Main Street as you enter from both directions. These eye-catching amenities are a big reason why Camden is such a beloved place that immediately gives visitors a feeling of being welcomed and at home.

Many Camden residences are an easy walk away from downtown and the thriving waterfront

Amphitheater and event space

Another great community asset in Camden is the event space. The amphitheater/stage is a beloved addition to this part of town, bringing people together to enjoy a variety of events and performances like concerts and festivals.

Camden's Waterfront – The Main Attraction

With beautiful views and pleasant amenities, the waterfront in Camden is a major destination. The numerous colorful boats floating on its blue waters framed by the wooded areas in the distance make it picturesque and memorable.

Room for Improvement

Access to the Waterfront

One issue at the waterfront is that it has limited accessibility from Main Street. It is off the main intersection on an obscure walkway and road that opens up into a parking lot. Once there, it's not easy to know where to go in order to fully enjoy the area. As the town's biggest draw, the waterfront could benefit from stronger connectivity to the rest of Camden and a higher density of eateries and cafes to liven it up, even temporary ones, so people can sit and enjoy the beautiful views.

Existing destinations such as the amphitheater and neighborhoods full of porches in the surrounding area add to the waterfront experience, but do not connect well, leaving a key part on the north side hard to experience.

Waterfront walkway along the downtown edge

A Pedestrian Bridge

A pedestrian bridge could be a great addition here to connect the waterfront and the area around the library. Below are some examples of what that could look like. Connectivity between important areas is essential to making a place feel cohesive.

A simple bridge like the one below could be added or perhaps something more dramatic and eye-catching which could also serve as a landmark.

Camden's Biggest Challenge - Main Street

Making the Main Street sidewalks and intersections better via small changes could turn this central area into a true "heart" of Camden.

The Sidewalks on Main Street

Every store matters along the modestly sized Camden Main Street. Many businesses go out of their way to make themselves friendly and inviting with great storefronts and outdoor displays. Strolling and shopping here is an active and exciting experience.

Camden's Main Street is a great central street but it has sidewalks that are limited in how they can be used because of how narrow they are. Improving Main Street should involve widening these sidewalks.

**Increasing the sidewalks by 2-3 feet on each side could have a dramatic impact**

Adding 2-3 feet to each sidewalk side and removing a few parking spaces, especially in front of key spots like the central hotel and certain restaurants can create "social hubs" where people don't just pass through, but rather enjoy sticking around and hanging out. When sidewalks are too narrow, they don't have the capacity to support this kind of activity.

Some examples of social sidewalks from Amsterdam, New Haven, and Brooklyn.

Improving The Main Intersection

The intersection in the center of the town is a confusing knot of 5 streets. They each present a different option for where people can go next, but with little clarity, visibility down side streets, or direction, the area leaves people scratching their heads about what's the best next move. It also lacks a vibrant main square to pull everything together. It therefore does not feel like the "heart" of town, which it should and could be.

One suggestion for improving this area is to extend the perception of "arrival" further west and south so as to allow people to get their bearings before the five forks in the road arrive. This would help people develop a clearer idea of what their options are as they make their way into and through the main intersection. Adding signage, expanding the sidewalks, and improving visibility of what every direction has to offer would help.

Intersections like this are so detrimental to communities that we often call them "Killer Intersections." What we mean by this is that they are overly wide with excessive amounts of asphalt, and cars and traffic dominate here. This creates a hostile environment for people and businesses in their vicinity.

Camden's main intersection is the center of town – as such a central place, it can't be just for cars, it must also be a "heart" of social and commercial life.

Part of the problem is there is too much space here devoted to vehicles. It eats into the space for people and businesses. With so much asphalt, this intersection takes away the feeling of arriving in the center of town where a sense of a human scale is important. It is difficult to intuit where things are and where to go next. Creating a better balance through small changes like wider sidewalks, inside out design, etc. could enhance the perception of being in the town core, and instill a better sense of where to go.

This key intersection is the gateway to most of Camden's best assets and amenities such as downtown neighborhoods, historic buildings, and the waterfront. That said, it's very hard to understand where anything beyond this intersection is. The lack of signage, visibility down side streets and orienting landmarks, and the angled parking make it hard to navigate this important central area.

Hidden Assets

A main problem with this intersection is that it is not evident from this key/central place on Main Street that there are a series of exceptional assets surrounding the downtown core. From here, people have to make a decision about where to go next, but without good visibility or connections between the center and its surroundings, many of Camden's treasures remain hidden. There needs to be a better connection between the town core and these gems, signage to indicate their presence, and enhanced visibility of them from key vantage points like central intersections.

A great example of these hidden assets are the town's beloved two ice cream shops, River Ducks and Camden Cone – which sit just off the main intersection – as well as the waterfront. Despite being close to the center of town and wonderful destinations worth visiting, it is hard to find them.

River Ducks Ice Cream, Bridge, and Riverhouse Hotel

The combination of an ice cream shop, bridge of flowers, and picturesque hotel here is lovely, but it is totally hidden from the main intersection. For those who know about it, it is an important node of activity and community life. But being tucked down a side street and surrounded by pavement, it doesn't do well at attracting foot traffic and new visitors. Widening the sidewalks, making the parking parallel and moving it to the other side would open up a view of the River Ducks.

Riverhouse Hotel and flower bridge lead to River Ducks ice cream stand.

The Owl and Turtle Bookshop and Camden Cone

The area of The Owl and Turtle Bookshop and Camden Cone, another major attraction, is also not visible from the main intersection. Still, it is a great example of the power of combining assets. Putting together a bookstore with a coffee window and an ice cream stand creates an inviting destination where each business complements the other and enhances the experience of the space. Together, they make a 12-hour activation of storefronts, keeping the area lively from morning to night. However, the area lacks the sense of place that small changes could contribute to create a prominent "social hub."

This is a signature, well-known go-to spot, but it is still hidden down a narrow street where it's hard for newcomers to find easily. What's more, there is limited seating and no real place to hang out here except on the curb. It has the potential to be a strong social hub, but giving away too much of its "people space" for car space keeps it from becoming so.

The more, the merrier: A book store, coffee window, and busy ice cream stand in Camden, Maine create a popular destination.

This area could become a standout destination if increased seating options and a small "social hub" in front were added by taking out two parking spots, adding umbrellas or even a small dining shed. It would gain the power to attract the foot traffic it deserves with better connection to and visibility from the town core.

Another Major Opportunity: How Camden's Village Green and Library Green Could Become Vibrant Squares

Throughout New England and stretching into southern states, the Town Green is an iconic public space in most downtowns. Therefore, high on the list of town revitalization strategies is creating more active greens that operate not just as green space, but as key gathering places for the community. By implementing a few changes, the library green and the main village green in Camden could become vibrant multi-use destinations that attract much greater public life than they currently do.

Camden Green

The Camden Green has a view looking down Main Street. It's a perfect place to end up after taking a stroll. It should therefore be made into a vibrant public place and community core. This can be achieved by adding seating, amenities, and programming.

Adding Potential Amenities to Create a "Public Square"

A green space like the Village Green can be made more vibrant with the addition of various amenities that make being there comfortable and pleasant, such as seating, food kiosks, coffee trucks, cafés, carousels, playgrounds, interactive sculptures, gazebos, bandshells, and more. Below are some examples from around the world that can take a Green from simple green space to a thriving community hub.

Seating

Social seating, where people can sit together, is essential in public places to encourage people to connect with each other. Individual seats like moveable chairs are great for giving people the freedom to shape their seating arrangements however feels pleasant or comfortable.

Art

Adding sculptures, especially climbable or interactive ones, is a great way to not only beautify a space but to also make it fun. Large sculptures are perfect focal points for the center or entrance of a square that give a space more finished look. Art is also a way to communicate a town's values or culture, giving visitors a glimpse into what locals care about such as literature, science, history, etc.

Food Kiosks/Temporary Restaurants

Something that never fails to attract foot traffic and visitation is amenities that offer food and refreshment. A surefire way to activate a place like a Green or square and get people spending time there is by adding cafes, restaurants, coffee trucks, ice cream kiosks, etc. These can be a permanent fixture or a temporary pop-up depending on needs, resources, and context.

A Market for Camden?

One big opportunity for Camden is to add some small market activity. The market in Ithaca is a great example. On Saturdays, everyone goes to the market which is held in a shed that is 500 feet long, outside town.

Camden would not necessarily copy this, but a group of small sheds/day stalls could be added in various locations to create small "hubs" on the waterfront, on the two greens, and down the local streets such as Mechanic, Chestnut, Bay View and Atlantic Ave. Freeport has a series of great "Makers Markets" during the summer that can serve as an example.

Takeaways to help take Camden to the next level

As frequent visitors and people who are looking for the best places around the world, we find Camden to be a real treasure. Small waterfront towns are a passion of ours in our Placemaking work and Camden is certainly one of the best. With our knowledge of other waterfront towns, we offer the following suggestions to help shape Camden's future and take it to the next level.

What we propose is that Camden creates a team of local residents as part of a Placemaking Discussion team. The goal would be to advance a series of conversations around small scale changes that could improve the town in meaningful ways. We call these kinds of changes LQC (Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper) activations. Below are a few ideas.

Narrow Main Street slightly and widen its sidewalks, adding amenities such as seating and creating small "social hubs" at key locations such as around restaurants and the hotel.
Focus special attention on the main intersection to transform it from a place mainly for cars and traffic into a thriving community heart for the Camden community.
Transform both the village green and library green into vibrant squares and even small markets, with the addition of amenities, art, event spaces, seating areas, and more.
Create better connections between the center and valued assets like the ice cream shops and the waterfront.
Mechanics Street could become another "Main Street" with activations and inside out design.
Improve the waterfront experience by adding temporary activities along the waterfront such as temporary restaurants/kiosks and possibly by building a bridge that connects to the area below the library and amphitheater.

Other communities to look to for inspiration

Our small towns have immense potential to be incredible destinations. There is so much to learn from communities that bring people together to live like they did in the past. Chautauqua is one exceptional example.

Who We Are and What We Do

We love to look at and understand how cities and communities around the world work and what makes them thrive. We have spent the last 50+ years exploring places in every kind of setting on every continent and helping communities create better places. We have a small foundation that we started 5 years ago to share our work. Project for Public Spaces, Social Life Project, and PlacemakingX are the three organizations we started. They are at the forefront of the Global Placemaking Movement.

Kathy and I, along with our team and a growing group of community activists, have spent our lives (over 50 years) building a "Placemaking Movement" globally that is now in over 30 countries around the world.

We share insights about great places and we use images to communicate takeaways. People can easily use them to create places in their own communities that reflect their values, culture, creativity and the things that makes their place wonderful. That is what "Placemaking" is all about.

"There are more and more of us fighting for a different vision of the world—a world that takes care of our most precious resources: the air we breathe, the water we drink and the places we share." – Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, France

The mission of the Social Life Project is to incite a renaissance of community connection in public spaces around the globe. Our work grows out of more than 50 years devoted to building the global placemaking movement. It is an initiative of the Placemaking Fund, along with PlacemakingX — a global network of leaders who together accelerate placemaking as a way to create healthy, inclusive, and beloved communities. Through our online publication, presentations, campaigns, and catalytic projects, we can create transformative impact on communities everywhere.

If you are interested in our helping to build a community-wide campaign or catalytic interventions, presentations, exhibits, and more or supporting the cause contact us.