Port Citizens deserve good health and good living conditions!

During the past 30 years, AIVP has assisted port cities in finding their path to a more resilient, concerted and sustainable future. When we launched the AIVP Agenda 2030 in 2018, we gathered massive support from our members in the following months showing it was the right path. Starting in 2020, answering to our members’ interests, we will organize our content following the goals of the Agenda, sharing more resources and knowledge: one goal of the Agenda, each month. Our first series since the 15th of September has been about “Health and Life Quality”. It makes no doubt that health is currently the top-priority for most citizens around the world, as the atrocious death toll of the pandemic is still increasing. Port cities can help to fight this tremendous crisis, which also affects the living conditions of the citizens on the economic and social dimensions. During the past month, AIVP has shared good practices and ideas to improve the life quality of port citizens, reaching from improving water quality to reducing carbon emissions. Discussing health implies talking about security, and the awful disaster that happened in Beirut. AIVP started a reflection on the reconstruction of this lively middle-east port city and will engage more directly in the debate about industrial risks. Linked to this debate, we also were concerned for Mauritius, as an oil spill has threatened the coasts of this Indian Ocean island. To sum it up, in a year without physical conferences, AIVP has decided to tackle sensitive issues with more work and more value-added than ever. Our association want to be at the frontline of the new world, and we are amazed by the significant innovation efforts of our port cities. We hope you find this knowledge useful for your port-city relationship. Measuring and monitoring pollutions: how technology can preserve our health? Environmental issues have been one of the top concerns for port cities. Before implementing technical measures to reduce the negative impact of port activities, is crucial to make detailed assessments to understand their impact and the best possible solution. Measuring this impact is also a key aspect for better port city governance and to increase the transparency of port functioning. This will also strength the trust of the citizens in their port and the authorities running it. As our new partner Pixel Port shows, today’s technology facilitates the correct measurement of environmental impact and sharing this data with other urban institutions for combined solutions. The Internet of Things, a concept often seen in the media, can provide innovative paths, relying on data generated by sensors deployed in the port territory and machinery. One of the key tools developed by Pixel Port is the Port Environmental Index, a single indicator merging data from different sources, that can ease the exchange of information. The tool is current under development and you can help to improve it…