Circular (City) Ports – Workbook 3 – Exploring the Port Region

This ‘Workbook 3- – Exploring the Port Region’ is part of a series of publications in the context of the track Delta Atelier/Circular (City) Ports

This document dives into the port region and presents the region as an interesting scale to investigate further in light of the circular transition. While it is clear that the circular transition will change the working of our economic system, with port environments as crucial actors, this document wants to show the potential of looking beyond the port borders. Therefore, this exploration aims to be a conversation starter, rather than a complete research on the port region.

In order to explore the potentiality of the port region for the circular transition, eight Circular Buildings Blocks are presented as possible circular projects, based on recurring initiatives defined during a benchmarking. Next to that, these Building Blocks are connected to three strategic pillars of port strategies, destilled from existing strategies for Belgian Ports. Further, the three port regions around North Sea Port, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, now defined in the Netherlands as NOVI-areas, are explored for their potentiality for Building Blocks. Next to that, it was zoomed out and looked at the Circular Mainframe, as a larger infrastructural network that will have an impact on the port region, which should also be considered when implementing new circular projects.

The different insights mentioned above result in a final consideration, where five different conversation starters are defined for further investigation and exploration of the port region.

Source: AWB