Cities and Ports innovating for an inter-dependent future
Regardless of the size or location, port cities today face serious challenges in their quest to achieve acceptable sustainability levels on two major fronts: Global and local.
‘Global’ because all ports today operate in an increasingly complex, challenging and above all else, competitive environment; ‘local’ because both the city and the port need to achieve – together – a balance to produce a ‘sustainable city’, the balance between a vibrant social, environmental and economic system.
Although the evolving interface between city and port has made major strides as it relates to dialogue in the last decades, the great ecological, political, social and economic demands and challenges of the 21st Century are forcing cities and ports to reach a place of heightened levels of co-operation and common ground. The road here is called ‘Innovation’.
In any urban environment the waterfront is no longer something taken for granted; on the contrary, it is now any city’s major asset. This and more effectively integrating the complex urban landscape between a city and port - which during the last four decades became increasingly polarised through port expansion, coupled with the need to address growing security, housing, cultural, social and economic demands results in nothing more or less than one of the greatest urban planning, economic development, sociological and port industry challenges ever.
Having affirmed the commitment and involvement of port cities in sustainable development during the Sydney Cities and Ports International Conference of 2006, we now invite you to IACP’s next International Conference in June of 2008 to join your colleagues and other members of the global community of port cities to exchange experiences, ideas, strategies and above all else to innovate in order to advance the collective goals and objectives of cities, ports and all of the interests of the stakeholders therein.
Where? None other than beautiful Stockholm where first-hand you will see some of the most novel and committed city-port initiatives being executed anywhere today.
IACP is the platform, Stockholm is the venue and you are the innovators. Your city, your port, your community, your clients need you there. We look forward to seeing you.
