Around fifty participants from seven countries took part in this AIVP study mission to Belgium, on the theme of co-construction in city-port projects (13 and 14 November 2018). Led by Professor Michael Dooms and bringing together all of AIVP’s Belgian port members, the mission was an opportunity for the delegates not just to learn about, but to actually see for themselves, some of the most iconic projects in the development of the country’s port cities. The study mission was organized in partnership with the Port of Brussels, CitiDev.Brussels and the Port of Antwerp.
Reserved for AIVP members, the trip to Belgium was organised in three stages, beginning with a regional seminar led by Prof Dooms looking at the cases of Liège, the PACO (Tournai and La Louvière) and Ghent, a tour of sites in Brussels and a day of presentations and visits in Antwerp. The comprehensive programme allowed participants to gauge the importance of dialogue between stakeholders in the context of city-port projects. Thanks to the co-construction approach, every project is able to fulfil its objectives in terms of deadlines and ambitions much more easily. Driven by citizens themselves, the co-constructed city-port project more effectively takes account of local societal, environmental and economic concerns, becoming the standard for the local city-port community. There can be no doubt that this Belgian “lesson” in building sustainable port cities that meet the expectations of citizens was an inspiration for many participants!
View mission proceedings (members only)
