16 October 2013
As announced in September, the port authorities of Antwerp, Cartagena, Dover, Livorno and Oslo have been selected for the shortlist of the ESPO Award on Societal Integration of Ports. ESPO would like to present the shortlisted projects to the wider public before the winner is announced on 6 November, during the traditional ceremony, which will be held at the Town Hall of Brussels. Therefore, as from now, every shortlisted project will be presented, through questions and answers, on the ESPO website in the running up to 6 November.
Today we are presenting: “Heritage: the breadcrumbs trail between city and port”, a project that was submitted by the Antwerp Port Authority.
ESPO: Congratulations! You have been shortlisted for the 2013 ESPO Award together with four other port projects! Could you briefly introduce your project?
Antwerp Port Authority: The port of Antwerp’s project focuses on culture and heritage while at the same time being part of the redevelopment of the former docklands. We have presented it as a “breadcrumb trail” because the various heritage projects are all within walking distance of one another, thus literally forming a trail along which different parts of the story can be pieced together. Furthermore, this approach emphasises the interaction between the different parts of the project, which together form a carefully planned entity. A spatial reference with a maritime setting has been created by giving a prominent place to the two historic docks; other creative companies have been attracted by converting former warehouses into cultural attractions; and other projects have been inspired by building a new museum and opting for high-quality, contemporary architecture. Former port buildings have been repurposed, houses have been renovated: everyone and everything has been given new impetus.
As a port authority and port community we have invested heavily in our projects because we believe in the force of innovation and took a fresh look at heritage. We chose this approach because we wanted to give our port heritage a new place in the cultural and social landscape, while making the link between city and port visible and tangible once more. This is because this site is indissolubly bound up with both the port and the city.
The aerial photograph of the Eilandje neighbourhood is perhaps the most evocative in illustrating the breadcrumb trail. The Felix warehouse and Felix Archive, the MAS Museum, the MAS Port Pavilion, the Museum Dock, the Red Star Line Museum, the new Port House, the Dry Dock Park, the “Magnificent Seven” (the world’s largest museum collection of dock cranes): follow the breadcrumbs and you discover the power of the past as inspiration for the future.
The full story and the contribution made by Antwerp Port Authority can be read in the candidacy brochure “Heritage: the breadcrumb trail between port and city.” (see enclosed)
ESPO: Why do you think your project deserves to win the 2013 ESPO Award?
Antwerp Port Authority: The main reasons are not the scale of the project or of the port, nor the huge investments, nor the long development; rather they are the combination of urban renovation and development with culture, employment, sustainable housing and history. What has made this project a success is the harmonious mingle of all these elements and especially the collaboration between port and city, along with the contribution by the private sector. “Strong through collaboration” was the baseline of the Strategic Plan for the port of Antwerp, but it applies equally well in this case. In our candidacy brochure we wrote “Port heritage is more than just a piece of history to be conserved; more importantly it has to be integrated into the day-to-day life of the city and its citizens.”
This is where the strength of the project lies: rediscovering the Eilandje neighbourhood, once the bustling heart of the port, and making this area a place that everybody is keen to visit.
By giving new life to this area with a cultural axis in combination with an urban renewal project, we have not only reversed the separation between port and city but have restored the links between them. Here, heritage is part of the everyday experience of local people and visitors alike. It is brought to life in a contemporary, modern and cultural way, with respect for the past while making history and heritage significant in the 21st-century life.
At the time our candidacy was submitted some of the projects were still incomplete, but in the meantime the Red Star Line Museum has been officially opened. This is a story of the past, but perhaps also the most contemporary of all the projects, as migration is more than ever in the news today. The story of the countless emigrants who passed through here in search of a better life is told in words and pictures, through the objects that families have cherished for many decades, making the experience close up and personal.
Finally there are the telling comments of the visitors who are the living proof of a successful project, the strollers who bring new life to a historic neighbourhood, the organisers of events in and around the docks that make it a new "place to be," the residents and commercial companies whose activities keep the neighbourhood connected to the economic life of the city/port and prevent it becoming an artificial island. Far from it, the Eilandje is livelier than ever, day and night. Achieving this was our main objective.
ESPO: What are you going to do if you win the Award?
Antwerp Port Authority: First and foremost, we will ensure that this recognition is shared with the many partners who have contributed to the project. As already explained, the project is not the work of the port alone, it is the work of the entire port community, for and on behalf of the people of Antwerp, giving “their” port back to them and restoring the link between port and city. We will capitalise on this recognition to give further momentum to the project, boosting local pride in the port and its contemporary achievements. It will also raise the profile of the port nationally and internationally.
The first step will be to organise an event in our Port Pavilion to focus on the achievement and to spread the word. The project brochure will be made available to tell people about the project and to generate enthusiasm.
But beyond this we will use the award as a platform for a communication campaign aimed at residents and visitors alike, in order to share our vision of a dynamic future for the port that is strongly anchored in the local community.
The award offers an excellent opportunity not only to look back on what has been achieved with the various partners, but also to look towards the future. The project remains ongoing: it gives us the opportunity to update part of the book of Antwerp as an international port icon.
ESPO: Besides having the ESPO Award winner statute, what would the Award further mean to you?
Antwerp Port Authority: Winning the ESPO award is of inestimable value to Antwerp Port Authority, as it goes to the essence of what typifies a port not only as an engine of the economy but also as a partner in the life of society. It gives the port a human face, it shows that more than added value and a source of employment the port forms part of society and invests heavily in this area.
The award underscores our social commitment while giving international recognition to all the partners who contributed to the project. After all, a successful project has many parents. This Antwerp project is not only the fruit of collaboration between city and port, it also bears tribute to the many people who contributed ideas and input for urban redevelopment, cultural heritage and sustainability: visionaries who are able to look beyond the narrow confines of practical necessity. An award from ESPO also recognises the value of collaboration, vision and indeed daring. Investing in our social fabric remains an important, ongoing task.
ESPO: How would you make your experience in developing the project available to others?
Antwerp Port Authority: Our project already exists in the form of a brochure, in English and Dutch versions. We will make this available immediately, both in printed form and online, announcing it through our usual communication channels.
We will certainly also collaborate in organising a meeting for European ports to exchange experiences with similar projects, in the spirit of developing a “Code of practice for societal integration of ports."
Further, we will accept invitations to give conferences and presentations about the project. Finally, we will share it with the stakeholders in the port as part of our Sustainability Report.