Creating collaborative spaces for experimentation: technology halls, co-working spaces, Learning Centers, Port Centers etc., to encourage interaction and stimulate new projects.
How can innovation hubs be established in port areas?
In addition to the symbolic value of transforming previously abandoned areas into the Port City’s most innovative places, transitional spaces between the port and city are good locations for creative districts and innovation hubs in a world where responsiveness, forward-thinking, and flexibility are increasingly necessary. These areas can improve the community’s value and create new job opportunities in the blue economy. This concept is what AltaSea is pursuing in the Port of Los Angeles; the initiative has transformed old port facilities into a vibrant science hub.
This good practice also includes objectives 5.2 (Enlarging the mix of profiles and promoting skills transfers, to allow for flexibility and to move beyond the sector-based approach without discrimination) and 8.3 (Developing public spaces and recreational or cultural amenities in Port City interface zones to create an appealing new area) of the AIVP’s 2030 Agenda
The idea behind AltaSea came from Prof. Geraldine Knatz in 2006, when she was Director of the Port. The aim was to transform the 35-acre historic City Dock 1 into a campus to create synergies between scientists, researchers, and businesses, develop innovative solutions in response to climate change, and safeguard the future of oceans and ocean-related careers. AltaSea forges a new relationship with the community, not just by creating jobs but also through various awareness-raising initiatives, educational programmes, and regular meetings with the community. In 2008, a community consultation group was established, but the project was put on hold due to the financial crisis. However, it was revived in 2013 when the Municipal Council approved a 50-year lease to redevelop the former Dock 1. The lease agreement between the Port and a financial sponsor (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors) included funds for the regeneration of the site.
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