Port cities and climate change

Under global developments and circumstances such as the vast urbanization rate and climate change, port cities stand on the edge of imminent socioeconomic disasters. The increasing interconnectedness of the global economy, combined with the expanding, global importance of ports as trade nodes intensify this risk and highlight the need for adaptation. Although the port city as an urban typology has been studied from various perspectives, and the global interest for the port city is growing, there is currently a lack of identified adaptation responses from both the port and the city. Due to the dual identity of the port city and the gradual separation of its components after the industrial era, the need to examine these two components separately and adequately, but under the recognition that they form one single urban entity is identified. This research, based on primary and secondary data, focuses on gathering and analysing the adaptation responses of 40 port cities in 10 countries worldwide. Eight types of adaptation actions are analysed for the port and the city respectively, in relation to various attributes that describe the port, the city, and the port-city relationship. These attributes include the port city exposure in monetary terms, the level of dependence of the city on its port, the size, performance, formation process of the port, as well as the port authority types. Regarding the city as a municipality and taking into account its urban form, the attributes that are examined are the city’s population density, welfare and location – namely whether it is a delta port city or a coastal port city. After analysing the data and identifying the correlations and levels of significance of the findings, conclusions are made regarding the relations between the various variables and the types of adaptation actions of the port and the city. In the conclusions, the focus of the port on its performance and the sensitivity of the city’s adaptation response in relation to the port prevalence in the port-city system is generally identified. However, this connection is seen as an opportunity that can enhance the adaptation response of port and the city, and lead to port city climate resilience.