I don't know the long sordid history of attempts to
improve Camden in full, but I do know that a lot of money was spent on "attractions" to attract outsiders, to turn it into some sort of destination for visitors, rather than to improve the lives of residents. And since nobody who plans this stuff seems to have any idea what they are doing, each "attraction" on the waterfront is basically an isolated building surrounded by acres of parking lot, ensuring that even if people, say, show up to the Aquarium, they park, visit, return to their cars, and leave.
