European Port Cities And Urban Regeneration

Culture- and event-led regeneration have been catalysts for the transformation of redundant urban port areas and for the reframing of the image of many port cities, which notably feature among mega-event bidding and host cities. However, there is little understanding of the impacts of these processes on port-city relationships, as well as of how port city cultures shape mega events and the related regeneration strategies. The book examines the underexplored mutual links between, on the one hand, urban and socio-economic regeneration driven by cultural and sporting mega events and, on the other hand, the spatial, political and symbolic ties between cities and their ports. By adopting a cross-national, comparative perspective, with in-depth case studies (Hull, Rotterdam, Genoa and Valencia) and examples from other port cities across the world where mega events were held, the book engages with issues such as the tension between port and cultural uses, reactions and opposition to mega events in port cities, clashing urban imaginaries drawing on port activity and culture, the role of port authorities and companies in the city’s cultural life, the spectacularisation and commodification of local maritime culture and heritage, processes of cultural demaritimisation and remaritimisation of port cities. The book is therefore a contribution towards the bridging of port city and mega-event studies, and it provides insights for port city policy makers and mega-event promoters, drawing from a range of international experiences. The book also shows how societal and political change in the current ‘ontologically-insecure’ times may undermine the very paradigm of culture- and event-led regeneration in the years to come.

Seaports, as part of urban centers, play a major role in the cultural, social and economic life of the cities in which they are located, and through the links they provide to the outside world. Port-cities in Europe have faced significant change, first with the loss of heavy industry, emergence of Eastern European democracies, and the widening of the European Community (now European Union) during the second half of the twentieth century, and more recently through drivers to change including the global Sustainable Development Agenda and the European Union Circular Economy Agenda. This book examines the role of modern seaports in Europe and consider how port-cities are responding to these major drivers for change. It discusses the broad issues facing European Sea Ports, including port life cycles, spatial planning, and societal integration. May 2019 saw the 200th anniversary of the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic between the US and England, and it is just over 60 years since the invention of the modern intermodal shipping container – both drivers of change in the maritime and ports industry. Increasing movements of people, e.g. through low cost cruises to port cities, can play a major role in changing the nature of such a city and impact on the lives of the people living there. This book brings together original research by both long-standing and younger scholars from multiple disciplines and builds upon the wider discourse about sea ports, port cities, and sustainability.

Waterfronts Revisited addresses the historical evolution of the relationship between port and city and re-examines waterfront development by looking at the urban territory and historical city in their complexity and entirety. By identifying guiding values, urban patterns and typologies, and local needs and experiences, cities can break the isolation of the harbor by reconnecting it to the urban structure; its functions, spaces and forms. Using the UNESCO recommendation for the "Historic Urban Landscape" as the guiding concept and a tool for managing urban preservation and change, this collection of essays illustrates solutions to issues of globalisation, commercialization of space and commoditisation of culture in waterfront development. Through sixteen selected case studies, Editors Heleni Porfyriou and Marichela Sepe offer planners and urban designers a broad spectrum of alternative solutions to waterfront regeneration interventions and redevelopments, addressing sustainability, regional cultural diversity, and the debate between conservation and transformation.

This book provides a comparative account of the process of urban regeneration and examines the factors influencing these processes, as well as the consequences of their implementation. Through a mixture of theoretical discussion and a series of case studies a thorough examination is made of the extent to which these different European old industrial conurbations are facing similar problems.

New Faces of Harbour Cities explores the changing so-called “faces” of harbour cities. Whilst urban regeneration and harbour cities are discussed as related realms within the wider field of urban competitiveness, few studies have attempted to give place to the broader set of economic, social, legal, environmental and cultural dimensions of urban waterfront regeneration in harbour cities concerning not only Western and Northern Europe, but also Aegean and Mediterranean cities. The book provides a multi-disciplinary, yet holistic analysis of the port-city interface as a major goal of creating new domains of entrepreneurial activity. Offering noteworthy potential, the abandonment of port districts offers new opportunities in placing brownfield port areas back into public use through their comprehensive revitalization. With the rapid growth of special interest in the waterfront regeneration of port districts, many harbour cities in the world are making an effort to give their cities a brand new “face”. However, there are still specific cases showing that this goal may not always find success, as is discussed for various cities in this book. Key features of the book include a highly readable discussion of the relationship between urban waterfront regeneration and port cities that both address to the evolution of the port-city interface and contemporary patterns of activity. The book also includes a wide range of international case studies in both developed and developing cities, whilst providing a balanced view of the critical issues and related cases. While focusing on key themes, the discussion also considers the critique of issues such as risk management, legal challenges in planning and the balance between the need for logistic activities and brownfield regeneration of port districts as a major asset in terms of urban image. As such, New Faces of Harbour Cities will serve as an important reference to academic studies that explore key themes such as urban waterfront regeneration, brownfield development, the port-city interface, green energy, mixed-use regeneration, and legal aspects in planning.

Adopted as the official publication of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, it presents a systematic, analytical, research-based appraisal of the structure, operation and future of the great port cities in Europe. Studies modern alternatives to traditional functions, business adaptations of waterfront areas, environmental and economic issues.

Urban regeneration is a key focus for public policy throughout Europe. This book examines social sustainability and analyses its meaning. The authors offer a comprehensive European perspective to identify best practices in sustainable urban regeneration in five major cities in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, and the UK. This authoritative overview of the scholarly literature makes the book essential reading for researchers and post-graduate students in sustainable development, real estate, geography, urban studies, and urban planning, as well as consultants and policy advisors in urban regeneration and the built environment.

This book presents a new paradigm of knowledge and action with respect to urban waterfronts and the “fluid city paradigm,” explaining its methodological framework and describing an integrated and creative planning approach in which waterfront regeneration is pursued as a key urban-renewal strategy. It focuses especially on the WATERFRONT project (“Water And Territorial policiEs for integRation oF multisectoRial develOpmeNT”), which was funded jointly by Italy and Malta with the goal of developing common guidelines, strategies, and operational tools for the planning of coastal areas, based on cross-border exchange of experiences. In the described approach, the waterfront is recognized as having a broad identity, acknowledging the complexity of the relationship between seaport and town and taking into account the physical and environmental components of human settlement, infrastructure, and productive and recreational activities. It highlights details of the process of renewal in the port city of Trapani, with discussion of the implemented actions, plans, and programs. The book also examines the practices adopted to transform city–port relationships across Europe in pursuit of innovative and sustainable development.