C O N T E X T 1 0 8 : M A R C H 2 0 0 9 9 Conference report: On the Waterfront Chequered histories and distinctive futures Port cities provided the main theme for a number of conferences in the second half of 2008, including in France (see ‘Picking up the threads in Lyon’, Context 106, September 2008), Germany and the United States. This focus of interest reflects the fact that at least half of the world’s cities were founded at locations that profited from trading and other links by sea, river or canal. Perhaps the most prestigious of the year’s international events, was On the Waterfront, a three-day conference held in November at the newly completed BT Conference Centre, immediately to the south of the Liverpool’s showpiece heritage-led regeneration of Albert Dock. Organised by English Heritage, Cities on the Edge, Liverpool City Council and the University of Liverpool, the theme Culture, Heritage and Regeneration of Port Cities addressed issues that relate primarily to larger maritime ports. The conference included keynote presentations from such disparate port cities as Antwerp, Valletta, Lagos and Shanghai, and highlighted characteristics that are specific to the likes of Baltimore, Bilbao, Mumbai, Savannah, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto and Valparaiso. On theWaterfront debated the distinct identity of historic port cities, the need for regeneration yet desire for authenticity, and their adaptability and cultural diversity.The relationship between a port’s history and its emerging 21st century waterfront was also addressed. In his introductory address, Sir Neil Cossons, former chairman of English Heritage, described Liverpool ‘as the extreme metaphor of port cities around the world,’ a city that has known both great times and tough times. Once a great transatlantic port at the centre of huge global economies, Liverpool was subsequently overwhelmed by the changeover in international shipping practices to containerisation, and by the gravitational pull of the south east of England and Europe. Noting the resourcefulness of its people, their resilience and humour, and a cultural richness, Sir Neil stressed the need for new cultural models that reflect the specific nature of historic port cities and do not replicate norms that may be relevant elsewhere. Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, set out the logic for understanding heritage significance and sense of place as the basis for defining what we are trying to preserve in port cities: specifically, their evidential value (the physical evidence of past shipping activities), their historical value (the means to interpret their evolution), their aesthetic value, and their communal value (meaning and memory within the local community). Andy Burnham MP, Liverpool-born and the first northerner to be appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, grew up in the city at a time when its fortunes were at rock bottom and its future direction was unclear. Speaking of the riches of the built heritage and living culture of the city, The On theWaterfront conference formed part of Liverpool’s programme for European Capital of Culture 2008. The historic waterfront at Gdansk, Poland, one of the six partners of Cities on the Edge.
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