Category Archives: Article

Boston: climate-driven gentrification?

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 Climate change 

We have previously mentioned, on a number of occasions, the strategy adopted by the city of Boston to tackle the issues of climate change and rising sea levels: instead of just building levees and seawalls, the city is focused on building with the natural environment, by creating parks, wetland areas, and so on, to mitigate the impact of flooding. However, urban development projects at these sites will also make them much more expensive, ensuring only wealthier people are able to live there – a fairly standard type of gentrification. But what of the existing communities in these places? Will they be forced to move? And will their new homes also be protected against the risks of flooding? It is this “climate-driven” gentrification that Boston’s chief of environment, energy and open space is keen to avoid.

➜ The Guardian

A new kind of governance for heritage

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 Governance 

The circular economy concept has gradually established itself. Could its ideas provide the inspiration for a “circular governance” approach to the re-use of urban cultural? That is the question being pondered by 16 cities of the European ICLEI network. The synthesis report on this project is now available. It identifies and illustrates how a new approach is possible, for re-using, funding and maintaining cultural heritage sustainably.

➜ Iclei ; Synthesis Report

 

Innovative or traditional, all approaches are welcome for sustainable port cities

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 Energy transition and circular economy 

Port cities around the globe are developing different projects to reduce the negative externalities of port activities. In Spain, the port of Valencia just received the government approval to build an electric substation with a capacity of 30 Megawatts, giving a first step towards its goal of becoming a carbon-free until 2030. Also in Spain, the port of Barcelona has launched a free sustainability consultancy service for its end costumers, helping them know the emissions of logistic chains and facilitate the decision making towards greener transportation. Other promising field of study is blue carbon, or the process by which marine plants capture carbon and transfer it into sediments. The port of Seattle (USA) will collaborate with Washington State departments to study the benefits of this procedure. Finally, another way to reduce the polluting emissions is to avoid them at all, supporting carbon-free transport, such as wit, like the port of Le Havre is doing in the project TOWT – Transport à la Voile.

➜ Europa Press – Barcelona, El Periódico de la Energía – Valencia, Green Marine – Seattle, Twitter – Le Havre

Port Cities of San Antonio and Valparaíso show their commitment with local community

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 Health and life quality 

Both leading Chilean ports have deployed several key actions in recent weeks to support workers, children and small business owners. As we saw in previous newsletters, drawing contests have been a popular measure to entertain children and keep the contact with the port. Almost 600 children participated in the competition organized by the port of Valparaíso with the local art museum. In a similar way, the port of San Antonio is inviting children aged 6-13 to participate in their competition “draw your port from home”, co-organized with the local newspaper. From a social perspective, both ports have extended their support during this crisis. They have continued with sanitation actions and helped port workers with food packages and vaccination campaigns. Additionally, the port of San Antonio also decided to significantly reduce the rent for local craftsmen with shops in the waterfront.

➜ Radio Festival, Soy Chile, Soy Chile, Port Valparaíso, Soy Chile, Portal Portuario

The fight against Covid-19 continues in Chilean Port Cities

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 Health and life quality 

In past newsletters and interviews we have seen the major port cities of Chile, San Antonio and Valparaíso, have been very active against the effects of the Covid-19 in the local communities. Other smaller ports are also playing an important role to protect workers and citizens. In Arica, the port authority installed an isolation unit for workers that may have been infected. In Puerto Ventanas, the port organized a webinar about house hold measures to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus.

➜ Portal Portuario – Arica, Portal Portuario – Puerto Ventanas

Spanish ports against the Covid-19

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 Culture and identity 

In Spain, the port of Cartagena has announced an investment of €100k for educational, cultural, sanitary and social projects close to the port environment. Also in Spain, the Port of Barcelona also announced that it will activate the maximum investments to accelerate the post Covid-19 recovery, prioritizing those considering the social, environmental and economic criteria. The Port of Santander has also decided to concede the Embarcadero Palace for solidarity action, from the regional food bank. In Valencia, the Port’s solidarity organization has also increased its actions, responding to the social demands, focusing on food donations. Finally, in the cultural agenda, the Port of Tarragona organized two online events, the “Un mar de peixos” and “Quiz”, including hands and crafts activities and competitions with children, and a quiz to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the port museum in the international days of Museums.

➜ Diario el canal – Cartagena, Portal Portuario – Barcelona, Cantabria Liberal – Santander, Levante EMV –  Valencia, Port of Tarragona

Economy and social support continues in Port Cities

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 Health and life quality 

As in previous weeks, we are increasingly seeing new economic support programs for port companies, to protect employees. The Port of Venice announced that it will allow the suspension of the fees for all companies that operate in its territory, besides the terminal operators that were already protected by previous initiatives. In other countries like USA, the port of Corpus Christi has given a subsidy to a non-profit organization to provide micro-loans for small companies in the county. In France, HAROPA (Port Authority of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris), has released a port-Covid-19 support program to help companies to re-launch their activities. On another level, the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, is focusing on crew’s mental health. The Port Authority and Deltalinqs is encouraging the support to organizations active in the field. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, the situation of seafarers is becoming dramatic due to the delay of crew changes.

➜  Port of Venice, Portal Portuario – Corpus Christi, Port Strategy – HAROPA, Safety 4 Sea – Rotterdam

Amsterdam aims to achieve a fully circular economy by 2050

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 Energy transition and circular economy 

In 2015, the city of Amsterdam ordered a study to assess the impact of a transition to a circular economy. The findings confirmed the significant potential in terms of reducing pollution, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Discussions with residents and the business community resulted in a strategy plan for the period 2020 to 2025. The Port will have a key role to play in the strategy, as we reported in our news on 16 April. For the City, the goal is to create a completely circular economy by 2050. With that in mind, a fourth phase was launched recently, and over 200 projects are in the pipeline for the year ahead.

➜ Cities Today ; Amsterdam Circular Economy Policy

Creating parks to tackle the tsunami risk

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 Climate change 

What can be done to resist the devastating power of tidal waves that can strike coastline and homes? According to a group of scientific experts, waterfront parks could offer a better solution than protective breakwaters. These landscaped parks are a more cost-efficient solution that will no doubt be of particular interest to less wealthy countries. They also help to preserve the natural environment, or at the very least to create a planned landscape that can also be turned into a promenade area.

➜ The Verge

Oslo: a guide to integrating the Port with the City more effectively

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 Culture and identity 

At the turn of the 20th century, a wealth of possibilities opened up for urban development both in and around the port of Oslo. A global plan was put together, to ensure the various facilities concerned were aesthetically coherent, whether in terms of signage, roads, the colour of cranes or silos, etc. The plan, created under the aegis of the city of Oslo, brought together the main stakeholders, including the Port itself, local businesses, and others. The aesthetic guidelines ensured a consistent appearance for the port promenade, which now runs along a 9 kilometre stretch of waterfront, while also helping to better integrate the active port.

➜ Port of Oslo