On Thursday, March 13, and Friday, March 14, 2025, the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU) of the Politecnico di Milano will host the conference “Port Clusters in Transition. Integrated Planning and Design at the Port-City Interface.”
The event, organized by the Institute for Construction Technologies of the National Research Council (CNR-Itc) and DAStU in collaboration with CRAFT and RETE – the International Association for the Collaboration between Ports and Cities, aims to promote a joint, multi-sectoral reflection among scholars, designers, operators, and managers of port clusters.
Specifically, the conference will explore the current state, challenges, and prospects of the transformation process that, following the reform of port legislation, has led from a sum of individual ports to an integrated system of port clusters. This evolution aligns with a broader vision aimed at achieving a sustainable integration between land and sea, both in terms of logistics and passenger traffic.
The first day of the event will open with institutional greetings from Massimo Bricocoli (Director of DAStU – Politecnico di Milano), Valeria Fedeli and Ilaria Tosoni (CRAFT – Center for Anti-Fragile Territories Competence), and Massimo Clemente (Director of CNR-Itc and Scientific Director of RETE). This will be followed by a discussion among researchers presenting studies and projects focused on port clusters, adopting an interdisciplinary approach involving architecture, sociology, engineering, urban planning, evaluation, and geography.
The second session will be dedicated to the RETE Young Workshop, an interdisciplinary discussion table involving PhD students and young researchers, to debate the sustainable future of port areas and port-city interaction zones. Based on ongoing research, the debate will address challenges related to governance, strategic planning, and sustainability practices for these constantly evolving territories.
The second day, titled “Integrated Planning and Design at the Port-City Interface in Italian Clusters”, will feature a discussion among representatives of Italy’s main port clusters. The objective is to identify common elements and differences among various port systems, sharing the most pressing issues and the strategies adopted to address them. This exchange of experiences will highlight effective governance models and innovative solutions for managing port-city interfaces.
This meeting represents a significant opportunity not only for professionals in the sector but also for all those involved in urban planning, environmental sustainability, and economic development. It will be a moment for exchange and networking, connecting diverse expertise to build an innovative vision for the future of ports and the cities that host them.
Conference Language: Italian
CLUSTER PORTUALI IN TRANSIZONE_PROGRAMMA_10.03.25