The Circular (City) Ports project is an exploration of what is needed to accelerate circular innovation in ports throughout Europe. The project is a part of the Delta Atelier and wants to kickstart the dialogue between learning and expertise environments, port and city professionals.
Why this focus on (city) ports?
We see five key assets that make ports key players in the transition
Unique location
in the natural delta, Europe and the world.
Connections
with other ports and urban economies
Logistics and infrastructure
present in high volume and density
Industrial activity
with clusters, technology, business and service innovation
Capital
both investment capacity and human capital
The industrial, city and inland ports all play a key role in the transition to a circular and low-carbon economy. These are the places where transitions shape the future to continue to create added economic and social value for many people.
Despite this excellent position, a successful transformation towards future-proof (city) port areas is far from a given. There’s no single way of being circular and change cannot be achieved only through regulation or market forces. It requires many steps from many actors over a longer period. It’s up to the port authorities, the (port) business community and the city and regional governments involved to turn this challenge into an opportunity.
The bottom line is this: if we want to bring about change, then the choice isn’t between competition and collaboration. We have to do both.
Take a deep dive into our documentary
Our documentary gives the floor to professionals working on circular economy in port environments. The documentary is a journey through the different challenges, bottlenecks and boundaries that parties are facing in being first movers. Take some time to browse through the eye-opening interviews.
8 building blocks for the future
We defined eight building blocks for (city) ports to stay the economic engines they are today. We visualized the building blocks in an imaginary port. Alongside the port a series of economic environments cohabit and establish synergies in order to work as a whole.
Research and publications
As a result of the Circular (City) Ports exploration, we created various publications. You can find the most important below.
Workbook 1 – Circular initiatives in the Delta
A first mapping of circular innovations within 11 (city) ports in Europe.
Workbook 2 – Building Blocks
An introduction to the eight building blocks or typical activities we recognized across the ports.
Shaping future changes
12 action lines to develop a more structured approach to circularity in ports and beyond.
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