Port / City Relations

Many cities around the world, particularly if they are older, have built an intricate relationship with their port. The economic fate of many of them is actually linked to the dynamic of their port. This led to port/city cooperation, but also to some conflicts, particularly over land and water uses; the shoreline remains a valuable zone of interface. In recent decades, the prevailing trend has been a growing level of disconnection between ports and their host cities. The main factors are:

• The migration of several terminals towards peripheral locations. The need for additional space and deeper drafts have incited terminal operators to seek new sites that are located further away from the conventional sites.
• The containerization of terminals has reduced labor requirements since a modern container terminal is capital intensive but only require a small quantity of qualified labor to operate. Port terminal thus employ much less people than before, reducing a whole array of port/city interactions, such as commuting.
• Modern ship operations require less labor. Also, due to flags of convenience, ship labor is mostly multinational (e.g. Philippines) and therefore not linked to the ports of call. Containerships spend little time at ports, often less than 24 hours, considerably reducing opportunities for shore leaves.
• Hinterland accessibility has improved, implying that the majority of economic activities using the port are located further inland and not, as it was conventionally the case, in close proximity to port terminals.

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