The Port and City of Bellingham joined forces to redevelop this disused industrial site on the waterfront. Work to create new public spaces and restore the natural environmental began in 2016. The award-winning Waypoint Park was officially opened to the public in 2018. The next phase of development work on this park and the Central Pier is now under way. There are plans for new promenades, viewing towers, public spaces, artistic installations, and more. Local residents have been invited to give their views on the project.

The City, Region, and Urban Development Company (SAU) have chosen architects “CENTRAL société d’architectes belge” to redevelop Magasin 4 site near the Brussels canal into a concert hall. The new venue will add to the other cultural and leisure amenities being created in this fast-changing canal-side district.

The recent European Maritime Day is an excellent reason to bring people closer to ports and the sea. For example, in Genoa, Italy, the port authority organized port visits for children treated at the local pediatric hospitals in Genoa and Savona. On the same date, the Italian port of Taranto presented a preview of the project “Open Port – Exhibition center del Porto di Taranto”. The future Port Center will be a path of discovery with playful experiences to bring port and city closer together. Another way to introduce children and teenagers is with online events with the schools, as the port of San Antonio in Chile has been doing. Their last webinar was organized with a high school from Cartagena, for teenagers studying port operations. In the webinar, the port authority invited different representatives from the port community, including the customs and terminals, so the students could have a direct interaction with the port professionals.

LNG and bio-LNG plants are springing up in greater numbers, along with refuelling terminals for shipping. Bio-LNG is obtained from fermentation of slurry or natural waste, and is considered to be a renewable source of fuel. These processes could prove useful for the “circular economy”. That is why Wärtsila is planning to expand its bio-LNG plant in Skogn (Norway) to supply the shipping industry in Europe and beyond. There is also demand from developing countries. The port of Mumbai (India) has announced plans to build an LNG terminal, the sixth on India’s west coast. A number of studies have been published estimating the real impact of LNG and bio-LNG in terms of emissions, both of carbon and gases that are hazardous to health. The representative body “Sea-LNG” has pointed to a research suggesting a 23% reduction in CO² emissions. But in order to provide a more impartial picture, there is a vital need for more academic studies of the kind undertaken by Queen Mary University in London (UK).

Port cities have been stages of historical events. It is necessary to preserve the historic memory, to explain and include it in cultural heritage preservation strategies. For example, in La Spezia (Italy), the port authority created a commemorative monument and a didactic route with ten “stations”, composed of ten showcases, in the renovated Molo Pagliari to explain the important role of this place for Jewish refugees coming from concentration camps in 1946. Another example can be found in Algeciras (Spain), where the port authority is developing a project for comprehensive restoration and musealization of the Isla Verde Fortress, fundamental for the history of the city. On the European Maritime Day, the institution premiered the documentary “El Fuerte de Isla Verde”, explaining the history of the fortress and the project. The fortress will open to the public in 2023.