Author: AIVP
On sale date: Thursday, 16 November 2006
Type of document: Report
Type of activity: International Meetings
Location: Oceania : Australia : Sydney
Language: English, French, Spanish

Nearly 350 people coming from 47 different countries gathered together for several days in one of the most beautiful port cities of the world – Sydney. Organised by the International Association of Cities and Ports (IACP) in partnership with New South Wales Maritime Authority and Sydney Port Authority, the 10th International Conference of Cities and Ports was the scene for numerous exchanges of experience on the theme of "Territories of the cities, territories of the ports – what joint future ? "

The choice of Sydney to illustrate this problematic proved straight away to be particularly judicious. This port metropolis of around 5 million inhabitants is today at the dawning of a profound restructuring. Built around its port in a bay with exceptional nautical qualities and a marvellous sea and landscape, the city is undertaking a process of relocation of most of the port functions to other sites sometimes as far as a hundred kilometres away. Started in the seventies with the construction of its famous Opera-house then with the port of Darling Harbour, the transformation of port sites into new urban districts is accelerating. Gradually port spaces are giving way to housing accommodation, tertiary activities or recreational facilities. This mutation has not failed to generate strong resistances for maintaining an active port in the heart of the city. It would appear however that, at term, only functions concerned with cruises and passenger transport will be conserved.

Contrary to certain ports that have no other technical choice than that of relocation to maintain their competitiveness, Sydney illustrates the case of port cities that are making the strategic choice of relocation in order to recuperate their waterfront for new urban usages. At that point, the question of a new reorganisation of the regional territory is posed for the local stakeholders : new infrastructures connecting the port or ports and the centres of production, storage and distribution to be created, new logistics and industrial parks to be organised, new housing distribution to be imagined. It is truly a question of a wager on the future for numerous port cities, a future where the debate on security as much against industrial risks as against the menace of terrorism is obviously not forgotten.

Has the Port still a legitimate place in the city? How, and under what conditions can certain functions of the port be maintained in the city? This question of blending utilisations of space was transversal and central in the papers and discussions of the conference.

Whatever the new distribution of city-port spaces to be imagined may be, and still more so when cohabitation between port and city functions is necessary, port authorities are multiplying initiatives towards the citizens and are developing a policy of communication. The Sydney Conference particularly put in evidence this well anchored trend, shared by numerous port authorities of both developed and developing countries. Stakeholders in economic developments, the port authorities also want to have more and better responsibility for their choices when confronted with environmental or social concerns. The port is thus becoming a partner of the city in setting up new strategies for sustainable development.

During the Sydney event, a Charter for the sustainable development of port cities was presented and debated. This Charter will shortly be proposed for the ratification of the port cities present and to the members of the IACP international network. It will constitute a framework for reflections on the city port strategies to be drawn up and implemented. In Sydney, urban and port authorities reasserted their desire for active cooperation. New fields of investigation were opened in favour of joint initiatives for employment, social cohesion or equitable trading. More and more, city-port cooperation today is not just a pious wish and catchphrase; it is nowadays being built up in daily realities.

More information :

Conference website : http://www.citiesandports2006.com

Conference weblog : http://www.aivp.org/blog/

High res picture : http://www.aivp.org/sydney/