New green spaces are among the key aims of the new five-year plan to develop the areas along the Huangpu River and Zuzhou Creek. Large parks and green corridors are set to be created over several dozen kilometres. Improvements will be made to the existing public spaces and promenades. The project covers a number of different urban precincts, including Pudong, Huangpu, the site of Expo 2010. In downtown Shanghai, on the site used to stage the universal exhibition, a culture and leisure park is planned on the banks of the Huangpu. Plans for a new undersea museum have also been announced. The building has been designed to become an iconic part of the city’s landscape, while preserving the industrial and port heritage of this former shipyard.

The Ministry of Transport has published its plans for the urban regeneration of the port of Valletta. The aim is to rationalise the port activities and optimise their economic efficiency and impact on natural resources and heritage. A new land use strategy will limit the amount of land used by the port to 50%. Passenger activity will be consolidated, with the ability to accommodate larger cruise vessels. The waterfront and historic district will be given a new lease of life, and new promenades will be created.

While solutions designed to cut carbon emissions occupy the spotlight, a number of trials are being conducted on methods of capturing and storing the problematic substance. Various pilot projects, including the “Aramis” project in Rotterdam (Netherlands), are being developed by TotalEnergies and Shell. The idea is to capture carbon in the atmosphere, liquefy it and then use existing infrastructures (such as pipelines) to store it. Another possibility, developed by a consortium based in South Korea and led by Mitsubishi, involves adapting liquid bulk cargo vessels to ship the CO2 captured to more remote storage locations. In all cases, it seems that port cities, with their well-suited infrastructures, are essential to this “miracle” solution and are home to growing carbon industries.

During September, port cities around the globe celebrate their maritime culture and connection to water. During this month, Londoners (UK) will enjoy the Totally Thames cultural festival along the 43 miles of the River Thames riverfront. In Rotterdam (The Netherlands), the 44th edition of the World Port Days took place between the 3rd and 5th of September. The festival included numerous excursions, allowing citizens to discover the real port. In Hamburg (Germany), the Elbfest will take place in the 18th and 19th of September, celebrating the city’s maritime tradition. In Italy, the 3rd edition of the Italian Port Days has just been launched. During the coming weeks, in ports like Livorno or Taranto, among others, people are invited to cultural events, exhibitions, or webinars, with Port Centers on the spotlight. The recent initiative “Women in Transport – the challenge for Italian Ports” will be one of the focus points. Finally, at end of the month, the UN celebrates the World Maritime Day. This year’s theme is “Seafarers at the core of shipping’s future”.

The first cycle of “Valparaíso Dialoga”, the dialogue process promoted by the port authority Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso (EPV), to which AIVP contributed, has concluded successfully. The dialogue resulted in three major consensuses: the port activity of Valparaíso must coexist and enhance many other activities; port expansion is necessary for economic reactivation and the current sheltered waters represent an opportunity and an advantage for Valparaíso; the waterfront must offer multiple uses for the city.
From these consensuses, EPV defined three commitments: to explore adjustments to the port expansion project, to make it compatible with the heritage and other productive vocations of the city; to explore new measures for the expansion project for a collaborative process for the waterfront; to define a permanent communication channel between the port and the city. The dialogue will continue in a second cycle focusing on waterfront development.