Ports, so little known. They have always been considered strategic commercial infrastructures and fundamental nodes in the distribution and production chain, yet not all citizens know exactly how they function, nor are they clear about the role played by the the bodies governing them.
This is also why the Port Network Authorities are thinking of promoting, under the coordination of the Italian port association, Assoporti, a series of surveys, to be developed locally, on the perception that citizens have of ports and the bodies who govern them.
This idea was put on the table by Assoporti during the three-day meeting organized in Livorno. Two technical groups from the Italian port association, one specialized in port/city relations and the other in urban planning, discussed the theme of integration between ports and their cities.
The initiative, which is due to be discussed over the next few days, takes its cue from what was recently done in Venice by the local Port Authority, the first to commission a survey of this kind on the entire lagoon city.
“This three-day event has been an important moment for discussion and debate on the challenges and opportunities of coexistence and cultural integration between the city, the port, and the waterfront,” said Tiziana Murgia, Assoporti manager and coordinator of the technical meetings held in Livorno.
“For some years now, the need has emerged for greater dialogue between institutions and the various bodies and stakeholders involved in the integration processes between cities and ports. The Port Authorities are an active part of this process,” he added.
“We believe that the idea of conducting surveys on how ports are perceived by citizens is an important starting point for experimenting with increasingly effective forms of public-private collaboration,” said Claudio Capuano, senior promotion executive at the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority.
Translation by Giles Foster