Benny Lenderman doesn&8217;t have any doubt that he&8217;s not only on the edge of the water &8212; he&8217;s on the cutting edge of a trend.

As director of the Memphis Riverfront Corp., a nonprofit partner working with the City of Memphis to develop that city&8217;s waterfront district, Lenderman is part of what he sees as a nationwide trend toward developing riverfronts with everything from public green spaces to residential developments to retail and entertainment venues.

&8220;I think you see any city bordering a water&8217;s edge &8212; or any city that can somehow create a water&8217;s edge &8212; taking advantage of that,&8221; Lenderman said.

In Memphis, the city already had several riverside parks established &8212; so the project&8217;s first aim was to tie them all together with riverfront paths. The remaining problem was that much prime land adjacent to the parks was either obligated by a 100-year agreement to remain public land or was the site of non-retail developments such as a dilapidated library and an aging fire station.

Another problem was polarized public views on how the space should ultimately be used. Some felt the riverfront should only be used as wide-open green spaces. Others wanted multiple places to eat dinner, take in a show and watch the river, &8220;and there was no middle ground in how people felt. So it was ultimately up to the elected officials to decide how the land was to be used,&8221; Lenderman said.

The controversial decision by the Board of Aldermen was to seek ways, through the legal system, to get out of the 100-year public use agreement in order to free the land for private development of that area &8212; which is called the Promenade &8212; a process that&8217;s still ongoing.

Lenderman has no doubt it&8217;s the right decision. Just look, he said, at the people who are already flocking to live in Memphis, in large part to be close to the river.

&8220;It&8217;s totally what&8217;s driving the rebirth of Memphis,&8221; he said, referring to the continued promise of development along the river.

In Shreveport, the arrival of casino boats in 1994 was the catalyst for that town&8217;s riverfront development, as well as a retail-and-riverwalk across the Red River in Bossier City.

But from there, the key has been to use a combination of state, federal and local money to make improvements. The town already has a waterpark but, in addition, got $7 million from the Red River Waterway Commission for a floating boat dock. The city also persuaded the Corps of Engineers to place its regional center in Shreveport, including in that almost-complete development a museum.

&8220;Our partnerships with the federal government&8221; is what made that development a success, said the city&8217;s business development director, Alena Acrey.

Just south of Memphis, a good example what can be done on the riverfront of a smaller Southern town &8212; albeit, with an influx of gaming funds &8212;

is Tunica.

There, county government has developed an interpretive museum, an eco-trail, an observation deck and veranda, outdoor exhibits and even a landing from which tourists can book rides on the riverboat Tunica Queen.

One of the keys that made the development work, said Tunica Riverpark&8217;s Laura Cannon, was that before plans were even drawn up, the county and its marketing firm found out what the public wanted to see developed not only on the riverfront, but throughout the county. In short, what was done was a comprehensive plan.

&8220;A survey was done to determine what we needed in the county,&8221; Cannon said. &8220;There overwhelming response was that people wanted to experience the river.&8221;

With that in mind, Tunica has made their riverfront as user-friendly as possible, even placing 24 &8220;rocking chairs&8221; along the riverwalk so people can enjoy the view at their leisure.