Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Local culture and the re-invention of the port-city

What is the local culture of port-cities?

How does it affect today‘s city development?

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Conceptual framework

Local Culture

Social and economic structures

Institutions

Local Development Path

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Being embedded in the framework of local culture means that

• a sense of affiliation is established which leads to reciprocal trust and reliability

• shared orientations and conventions facilitate cooperation

• individual decisions on economically or politically relevant alternatives are generally taken in a collectively accepted framework

What is local culture ?

• Ensemble of artefacts, common practices, attitudes, symbols, use of language and meanings;

• expresses and reproduces shared expectations, norms and conventions; • locally defined and collectively accepted.

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Port Cities are (since centuries) 1. Coherent system of specialised functions,

expressed by artefacts, symbols, spatial structures

2. Risk sharing communities: Cooperation and (maritime) consensus

3. Hubs of flows: Normality of foreignness

4. Centre and periphery: The second city

The local culture of the Port City

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Specialised system of functions expressed by artefacts, symbols, spatial structures

• Place - making in global competition – the „look-and-feel-factor“; the exhibited city

• Provocation, reflection

• Stabilisation of social structures / moderation of social conflicts

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Risk sharing communities: Cooperation and (maritime) consensus

• Public spirit

• Identification across classes and milieus

• Accomodation of urban regimes > new co-existence of ‚living port‘ and ‚working port‘

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Hubs of flows: Normality of foreignness

• Experienced with temporary users

• Social integration

• Easy adaptation to globalisation

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Centre and periphery: The Second City

• Centre of competence for port business

• National significance

• Strong sense of self-reliance and autonomy

Local Culture and the Re-Invention of

Port Cities

Social and economic structures

Institutions

Local Development Path

Ressources for modernisation:

Mobilising and concentration of ressources

Reproduction of Social Capital

Potential for diversification and innovation

Management of modernisation:

Steering mechanism

Legitimation of decisions

Coping with risks

Moderation of social conflicts

Local Culture

Conclusion: Factor of stabilisation and path dependency