Borja Nogue Alguero will be rescheduled to the session chaired by Achim Schlueter; "Blue Growth and Ocean Privatizations".
Chaired by: Van Tatenhove, J. P. M.
Port governance in the network society Jan P.M. van Tatenhove & Jesper Raakjær
The development and governance of ports takes place in a global setting, consisting of networks and flows. At the crossroads between land and sea, ports are nodes in transnational economic, social and political networks. A key feature of the social organization of the global network society is the emergence of a ‘space of flows’, a timeless, boundless and transnational space in which flows travel between different nodes in a network, complementary to the ever existing place-bounded activities in the ‘space of places’. The aim of this paper is conceptualize the development, the role and the governance of ports from this network and flows perspective. Ports are both part of the space of flows and the space of places. On the hand, ports are nodes in the space of flows connecting the flow of shipping, while on the other hand ports bring together a variety of place-based local and national activities and port are developing into effective inter-modal hubs and attractive logistic centres for exchange of goods between sea, road and rail serving industrial park in the port hinterland. Port governance is the interactive process through which networks of actors, institutions and organizations operating at multiple levels are steering the different flows (harbour activities, shipping, land-sea connections, supporting the port industrial ecosystem etc.) towards collectively negotiated objectives. The paper analyses four different forms of port governance. Firstly governance of sustainable port infrastructure and green port development. Secondly the port governance as networking between ports to create a level playing field on for example environmental issues through cooperation and sharing of knowledge between ports (for example EcoPorts). Thirdly, governance as local and regional development. Fourthly regionalization in which ports are seen as part of a regional strategy (such as Macro Regional strategies and/or sea-basin strategies).
Growth in the Docks: Ports, metabolic flows and socioenvironmental impacts Borja Nogué Algueró
Virtually all internationally traded goods are shipped via maritime transportation. Major commercial ports are vital components of current economies, enabling and defining international production, distribution and consumption systems. Although port development is usually associated to positive economic effects such as increased growth and employment, the continuous expansion and intensification of port activities produce adverse outcomes such as air and water pollution, the destruction of marine and coastal environments, and health risks, among others. Most literature on ports treat such negative impacts as external costs rectifiable through regulation, innovation, technological upgrading, and increased efficiency. Taking the Port of Barcelona as a case study, this paper argues that the socioenvironmental impacts of ports are an inherent part of the shipping industry’s growth-driven economic model and it examines the unsustainable aspects of increased port activity and development. Finally, it introduces Degrowth as a radical socioecological alternative to ocean-based growth paradigms and discusses its prospective ‘blue’ articulation in the context of ports and maritime transportation.
Cruise passenger accommodation preferences in a major home port pre- and post-voyage: Evidence from Southampton, United Kingdom Pavlos Arvanitis, Bailey Adie & Alberto Amore
Mainstream literature argues that the economic benefits deriving from cruise passengers at ports of call are significant and suggests that ports of call should invest in leisure amenities and services offered to cruise ship passengers in order to maximise returns. Nevertheless, the mobility patterns and activities of cruise passengers at the departure port are currently overlooked. Questions can be raised as to whether ports of call have limited tourism related activity. This is the case in Southampton, the dominant home port on the southern coast of the United Kingdom, which attracts around 2 million cruise passengers per year. The aim of this paper is to map the activities and mobilities of cruise passengers that depart and, most likely, return to Southampton and explore their preferences related to overnight stays in the area. Two different passenger groups, who were embarking on two separate cruises, were surveyed in order to collect data to respond to the previous questions. The data collected indicates that there is limited willingness to stay overnight in Southampton pre- and post- cruise. This results in the loss of a large potential tourism market for Southampton. The tendency in the cruise industry towards greater accessibility highlights a potential opportunity to develop alternative tourism products which accommodate the mobility patterns of cruise passengers that are already in the city but do not engage with the amenities and facilities available at the destination.
