The erosion of public support for seaports has only recently been recognised as an issue that needs attention from port management. Competition for land use, negative externalities of port operations as well as safety and security concerns have over the last few decades contributed to a negative public image of many ports. This has been reinforced by the fact that ports in many cases moved out of sight from citizens. Ports are at best acknowledged as a necessary evil, but more often the general public and policy makers alike ignore the fundamental contributions ports make to economy and society. The result is that ports often stand alone, without allies, when they run into opposition to their development.
Embracing co-habitation and dialogue with cities and local communities is for many port authorities a difficult learning process since it often seems to be a distraction from the commercial rationale of port operations. Moreover, the distance between ports and cities has in many cases been widened through processes of globalisation and corporatisation of port authorities.
The economic function of ports can however only be sustained in the longer run, if the societal function is taken seriously. More and more port authorities are therefore becoming aware of the need to devise innovative ways to develop co-operative synergies with cities, to improve the quality and accessibility of port areas and to generally promote a positive image with the general public. The European Commission has also recognised the issue and highlights the need to establish a better dialogue between ports and cities as a priority area in the context of both its maritime and ports policies.
The ESPO Award on Societal Integration of Ports aims to promote innovative projects of European port authorities that improve societal integration of ports, especially with the city or wider community in which they are located. In this way, the award wants to stimulate the sustainable development of European ports and their cities.
Concretely, project proposals could relate to one or more of the following project fields:
a) improving sustainable development synergies between ports and cities
b) improving quality and accessibility of port areas
c) promoting the image of the port as a place to experience, live and work
The call for applications for the first edition of the ESPO Award was opened on 24 February 2009 and closed 24 July. 26 port authorities submitted 30 entries. Out of these the jury nominated on 23 September 7 projects for the shortlist: Algeciras (North-South), Genoa, Ghent, Gijón, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Turku. On 4 November the Jury selected the application of Gijón as winner of the first ESPO Award. Special mentions were made for the Port of Genoa and the Port of Ghent.