Navigating the Future of Port Territories

As part of Rotterdam Architecture Month, we hosted a series of panel discussions (27th-28th of June). Each two-hour session featured projects that address various aspects of sedimentation and its impact on port cities, offering a platform for architects, planners, scientists, and policy-makers to exchange knowledge and envision more sustainable approaches.

Regional and Inland Ports of the Dutch Delta

In this event, we explored the definition and positioning of small ports within the global port network and examined the port-city interface. We discussed narratives from key actors and stakeholders and talked with experts to assess current trends and future scenarios. The aim was to understand how small ports contribute to regional development and their interaction with urbanization, focusing on economic, social, and environmental impacts.

Source: Fluid Encounters, 2023 by Marie Benninghoven, Ramona Buia, Jules Bresson, Lada Leidmane and Tim ter Heide

During the session speakers introduced several themes which laid the groundwork for discussion. Paul Gerretsen opened the session, stating that the economy is at a tipping point, he emphasized the need to rethink the port system in order to address current challenges.

Paolo de Martino discussed the complexities of port governance, suggesting that small ports can more easily break away from power dependencies. He presented water as a carrier of emotions and stressed that climate change will significantly impact coastal territories, especially in Italy.

John Hanna noted the growing anthropological focus among students for a deeper understanding of the human element. He urged exploration of historical narratives, defending ports as valuable entities with cultural and historical significance, rather than just profit-driven operations.

Merten Nefs emphasized the importance of societal acceptance for sustainable ports. He suggested that ports collaborate with regional governments to develop scenarios for space requirements and more efficient use. North Sea Port is working with Antwerp-Bruges and Rotterdam to create a unified narrative.

Matthias Maddelein discussed the direct impacts of port operations on communities and nature, advocating for stakeholder cooperation to balance regional impacts with national benefits while integrating climate change and biodiversity into planning.

Mila Montezuma and Samuel Hartman presented research based on interviews with harbor authorities and individuals who work in or around the harbor. From this research, Mila Montezuma called for a re-evaluation of port identities, promoting designs that integrate nature, such as blue-green buffers and amphibious public spaces. Samuel Hartman highlighted the complexities of transforming port operations, focusing on the impact of land ownership and local versus system-wide transitions.

Local and regional ports can play a significant role in climate adaptation and territorial cohesion by focusing on sustainable transformation and rapid change. They can explore new economic activities like recycling industry or forming energy hubs to adapt to changing conditions. Ports have the potential to become “complex mosaics of functions,” integrating living, working, recreation, and nature while reconnecting people to the waterfront. By addressing unique local narratives and challenges, they can link regional impacts to broader national benefits. It’s essential to negotiate conflicting spatial narratives across ports, cities, and regions, shifting from competition to systemic collaboration while considering environmental and social factors.

Gabriel Caradonna introduced a project catalogue compiling stories developed by TU Delft students, while Maud van Beuken presented “Where the River,” which explores the sediment beneath the city’s asphalt.

Turning points of the Delta

Our delta region has undergone drastic changes over the last half century. Global changes in our economy, technology and way of life have caused rise of mega ports, large waterworks and further urbanisation of coastal regions. How do we continue to live with water in the delta in the future? More than enough reason to speculate for which drastic changes await these coastal regions in the future.

Through several spatial scenarios drafted by students of TU Delft, we analyzed the turning points, discussed the possible or impossible scenarios and comprehend the roles we can play in the future. These scenarios were from the Bauhaus of the Sea Sails and Resilient Delta Living with Water projects, aiming to create a Dutch delta a port system and a social system for living with water in the future.

Alankrita Sarkar introduced the Bauhaus of the Sea Sails and Small Ports, followed by Carola Hein, who presented “Building Green,” a course at TU Delft focusing on speculative research regarding port cities and delta regions.

Several student groups shared their projects: Yente van der Zee, Eva Heslenveld, and Misha Midavoodi introduced “What If Birds Could Complain,” exploring alternate futures from a bird’s perspective. Tjalling Cohen, Thomas van der Wielen, and Stella Sperenger presented “Salt & Soil,” discussing Saeftinghe’s adaptation through saltwater crops and dikes. Yasmine Izmeth highlighted Dordrecht’s climate vulnerabilities and the role of Stadspark in climate adaptation. Mila Montezuma shared a manifesto-style letter from Recife, Brazil, written from the future (2100) about sea level rise, which inspired similar initiatives in the Netherlands.

Paolo de Martino and John Hanna introduced “Interest at Stake,” examining challenges faced by port cities and envisioning Moerdijk in 2075. The closing discussion focused on the challenges and opportunities for port cities, emphasizing the importance of speculative scenarios in promoting urban and environmental sustainability. Participants debated the drivers of transformation and highlighted the need for collaboration across disciplines while cautioning against the potential misuse of scenario thinking by powerful actors. The discussion reframed port cities as culturally and ecologically valuable and underscored the urgency of integrating circular economy principles. Ultimately, it was noted that resilient transitions rely on collective agency and imagination.

Maud van den Beuken lets the river flow through Rotterdam with ‘Where the River is’

Together with Han Meijer and Maud van den Beuken, we imagined ourselves in the soil of Rotterdam. Under the asphalt lie thick layers of sediment, deposited by the river over centuries. What role does the river play as the supporting bottom of the city? Can we still regard this bottom as part of the river itself?

With Meijers, we reflected on the importance of river sediment, as opposed to the Port of Rotterdam’s daily dredging industry. How is river sediment an important carrier for the contemporary and future urban environment? The session took place in the installation “Where the River is”. For this installation Van den Beuken dredged 30 m3 of sludge from the Port of Rotterdam and placed it in the middle of the city. She invited scientists to step into the perspective of the river, as an entity. She asked them to speak from the voice of the river, using their own field of expertise.

Photography: Anne Kloosterhuis

One key theme was the metaphor for growth, the port in its constant need for growth in money and size, and the land, as it struggles to keep above rising sea levels, both at the same time, but at the destruction of the other.