Abstract
Port city regions are key locations in the post-oil transition and merit specific attention from planners. Located at the edge of water and land, ports are gateways to nations and continents, they are industrial and often petroleum hubs with important negative externalities for the neighboring urban and rural spaces. Port cities are hubs of global services and decision-making with a long tradition of resilience, with an astounding capacity to bounce back after disasters and to adapt to political, economic, social or other challenges. The larger port city region has come to host port functions in often non-continuous ways in the absence of clear institutional and planning frameworks. This session argues that planning post-oil port city regions, due to their complexity, can be paradigmatic for sustainability transitions in other areas of activity. It argues for an integrated consideration of spatial forms—such as port, water, road and rail infrastructure or urban areas—, social structures, including political and legal frameworks—and cultural patterns, often expressed in architectural and urban form as well. It further posits that planning the post-oil transition requires an evolutionary approachi and collaboration among diverse stakeholders and the creation of shared values as a foundation for planning. We are specifically interested in contributions that take a longitudinal, transdisciplinary and multi-scalar approach in view of planning the future of ports, cities and their regions, connecting spatial, institutional, social, economic or cultural perspectives. Planning for the future can be based on best practices, but it also needs to critically assess failures. We need to study the role of planning in transitions and at times of crisis, as the COVID-19 has just reminded us. The session argues that the historical resilience of port cities is embedded in a maritime mindset or port city culture, a strong and dedicated collaboration among diverse groups of public and private actors from different backgrounds around shared values. It is therefore important to assess, find and reinforce these shared values in light the challenges of today. The importance of close port-city-region relations, and shared values, has been emphasized by various scholars and organizations (e.g. OECD, AIVP, RETE). While the economic effects of port city collaborations have been studied, an examination of socio-spatial impacts and the integration of port and city regions and the role of planning therein is still missing. Today, many ports are carefully assessing stakeholder involvement in the port to address challenges of climate change, but such transitions also involve frictions and solutions towards resolving them are not yet clearly emerging. Port city regions need to find new ways to connect stakeholders in values-based negotiation. The session asks: How has planning facilitated, hindered or led transitions in port cities over time? How have port and city actors from around the world started to tackle development towards zero-emission, zero-waste shipping, circular economy principles, and sustainable urban development? How will port city regions evolve after the current crisis at a time when political leaders and societies embrace nationalistic ideas effectively countering the globalization that makes ports thrive? How can planning facilitate innovative and creative practices that emerge in port cities, ranging from makers districts to new legal systems, addressing social, economic and environmental aspects simultaneously? What kind of (online) tools—deliberation, gaming—have been used to facilitate interaction among port city region stakeholders. The goal of the session is to gather and discuss case studies from around the world in an interactive session, to compare and contrast them and to collect them in a dedicated special issue.
