Santander will host the 39th Meeting of RETE (Association for the Collaboration between Ports and Cities) on 21 and 22 May, focusing this year on the ‘Maritime Culture and Identity of the Port City’. With the participation of institutional representatives, cultural experts and port authorities, the event will reflect on how the maritime legacy can contribute to urban regeneration and social cohesion in port cities.
The President of RETE and of the Port Authority of the Bay of Cadiz, Teófila Martínez, will chair both the Governing Board and the General Council of the Association, which will be held on the 21st, Wednesday, at the Real Club Marítimo and the Real Club de Regatas de Santander. That same afternoon, the Real Club de Regatas will host the conference ‘Living and living together in the port city’, with the participation of the mayors of Santander and Huelva, Gema Igual Ortiz and Pilar Miranda Plata, respectively. This meeting will be moderated by the president of RETE, Teófila Martínez, who will open the debate on the challenges of governance in urban port environments.
On Thursday 22nd, at the headquarters of the Botín Foundation, the central nucleus of the meeting will be held. Under the slogan ‘Culture and maritime identity of the port city’, the conference will focus on the role of culture as an engine of transformation, exploring the traces of the sea in literature, music, architecture, urban planning, fashion and gastronomy. It will also analyse how these elements forge a lifestyle and a distinctive identity in port cities, generating competitive advantages, attracting visitors and a sense of belonging for the citizens.
One of the highlights will be the session dedicated to the Santander waterfront as a paradigmatic example of cultural regeneration. The president of the Santander Port Authority, César Díaz Maza, and the mayoress, Gema Igual, will speak on how the city has integrated its maritime heritage into a renewed urban space full of cultural activity and heritage value.
The programme will also include a guided tour of this cultural corridor, with stops at two emblematic projects: the future Centro Asociado del Museo Reina Sofía and the FARO Santander project, a space promoted by Banco Santander dedicated to art, technology and port memory.
As Teófila Martínez points out, “port cities are not only logistical nodes, but authentic cultural ecosystems where the sea has inspired lifestyles, artistic expressions and social links. Santander is today a reference in how culture can regenerate the port space, reinforce the urban identity and build bridges between the port and its citizens”.
Attendance at the 39th RETE Meeting is free of charge. Information and registration on this link:
