10 C O N T E X T 1 0 8 : M A R C H 2 0 0 9 he emphasised the relationship between identity, sense of belonging and security in a globalised world. This relationship involved the rich mix of communities, races and faiths that characterise port cities generally, and the mood of confidence, tolerance and openness that has underpinned the recent success of Liverpool, as manifested to a global audience in the city’s year as European Capital of Culture. Burnham spoke of heritage as a potent driver in the new economy of the city, shattering negative perceptions and reviving people’s sense of hope and pride, providing a vision for the future and a platform for creative talent which are all symptomatic of durable regeneration. Robert Lee, professor of economic and social history at Liverpool University, articulated the cycles of retreat followed by regeneration that have impacted on the waterfront spaces of port cities around the world, and how conservation as a construct has tended to purify the past of its social and ethnic plurality. As waterfronts have been revitalised to encourage cruise ships, cultural tourism and the development of prestige apartments and offices, so have they become ‘contested landscapes’ from which traces of their traditional working class and anarchic vibrancy have been marginalised. Sanitised spaces, they have rejected the richness of their past and lost their distinctive sense of place. Lee urged greater understanding and a more balanced and consensual approach to the regeneration of waterfronts: one that creates social bridges rather than barriers, and embraces ecological considerations as well as conservation principles. Sir Bob Scott, international director of the Liverpool Culture Company, addressed the significance of Liverpool as a European port city and as the principal port of emigration to the new world in the 19th century. Sir Bob was the inspiration behind Cities on the Edge, a cultural partnership of six port cities (Bremen, Gdansk, Istanbul, Liverpool, Marseille and Naples) all of which share vivid ‘sailor town’ histories; distinctive traditions and people; a dark side; an irreverent sense of humour; a passion for football; and an international image that is more favourable than their national one. Franco Bianchini, professor of cultural policy and planning at Leeds Metropolitan University, commended the successful reconnection of the historic centre of Genoa (European Capital of Culture 2004), with its old harbour. The barriers between high and popular culture in Genoa are undefined. From the restoration of renaissance palaces to the conversion and extension of harbour-side warehouses for cultural and leisure activities, the common factor is fluid public access and use. Standardised regeneration models for port cities around the world, whether the result of direct market forces or public-private partnerships, tend towards gentrification and the erosion of local distinctiveness. One key question to come out of this conference was whether the specific characteristics of individual port cities offered an alternative to globalisation, or whether their chequered history placed them among the last places to globalise. If the latter, are they at risk of becoming anywhere places, clones of each other, especially at their waterfronts? Dennis Rodwell consultant in cultural heritage and sustainable urban development Above and below: Genoa, Italy, a city whose waterfront abounds with marginal, sailor-town colour and vibrancy.
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