The International University of Andalusia (UNIA) will include the sessions “Port Cities: Integrative Urbanism” in its 2024 Summer Courses program. The event, organized by the School of Architecture of Seville and RETE (Association for Collaboration between Ports and Cities), will take place on July 10 and 11 at the La Rábida campus, located in Palos de la Frontera, Huelva.
Rafael Carmona, Vice President of RETE and the Port Authority of Seville, explains that this technical meeting aims to “reflect on and analyze the interaction between ports and cities, as well as the quality of life in port cities and their territorial, economic, social, and cultural environments. At a time when many urban ports are transforming their contact areas with the city for public use, it is crucial to broaden the analysis of these processes from a multidisciplinary and innovative perspective,” he adds. Current examples are the Port of Seville, which is defining a new port district, and the Port of Huelva, which seeks to open its industrial area to new uses integrated with the city.
Similarly, the expansion of ports and their logistics areas towards regions far from cities highlights “the need for best practices in the interaction between infrastructure and the natural landscape, balancing transport efficiency with respect for natural heritage and territorial regeneration,” explains the Vice President of RETE.
The event, directed by distinguished academics from the University of Seville Francisco Javier Terrados Cepeda and Ramón Pico Valimaña, will focus on the development of integrative urbanism that allows for harmonious coexistence between port activities and urban life, promoting sustainability and local economic development.
The event will feature experts who will develop the following program:
Wednesday, July 10: “Small-Scale Ports in Andalusia. Population, Rural Territory, and Landscape,” Fernando Copado García (Public Ports Agency of Andalusia); “Ports of General Interest in Andalusia. Challenges of Port-City Integration,” Daniel Navas Carrillo (University of Málaga); and “Ecology of Ports and Their Transformations. The Case of Motril,” Juana María Sánchez Gómez (University of Málaga).
Thursday, July 11: “Ports as Economic Drivers of the City. Future Challenges,” María del Mar Cerbán Jiménez (University of Cádiz); “Ekistics of the Urban Port. The Case of the Port District of Seville,” José María de Cárdenas Domínguez-Adame (Technical Office of the Port Authority of Seville for the drafting of the Urban Port District Master Plan); and “Landscape Urbanism in Urban Ports. A Vision from Academia,” Francisco Javier Terrados Cepeda (University of Seville).
This year’s offering from the International University of Andalusia (UNIA) consists of 39 proposals to be developed between July and September. It’s an opportunity to delve into topics ranging from the multiple facets of Artificial Intelligence (education, business, human rights, health) to emotions, sustainability, gastronomy, the water challenge, the environment, visual arts, and poetry.
“It is particularly positive that the UNIA includes the participation of the RETE Association in these courses, as our collaboration provides an integral and specialized perspective on the relationship between ports and cities. The presence of RETE, which includes ports from Spain and a large part of European ports, enriches the debate and analysis on integrative urbanism, allowing for a more effective approach to the challenges and opportunities of port cities in a global context,” says its Vice President, Rafael Carmona.