Port-City Interface Areas in the Western Ligurian Port System Master Plans

22 Dicembre, 2025

Introduction

The various conflicts generated by the interdependence between ports, cities, and territories — in terms of operations, land use, borders, transport, their use or impact on the environment — are a well-established feature of port urban realities. Since the 1970s, the development of maritime transport and the resulting conflicts with coastal uses have led many European and global cities to a gradual decentralization of ports into peripheral areas. At the same time, significant regeneration processes have been occurring in areas of partly disused historic ports near city centers.

Hoyle’s renowned scheme, which illustrates the various port-city interface evolution phases (Hoyle, 1989), shows how, during the last forty years of the twentieth century, there has been an irreversible detachment between ports — increasingly considered as national gateways — and cities — serving as hubs for more local and regional-oriented dynamics. The scheme also highlighted the subsequent decommissioning of historic ports and the ongoing, progressive redevelopment of the waterfront.

The stages of the evolution of the port-city interface. (Source: Hoyle B.S., 1989) [5, 6]. Reworking of the Hoyle scheme by Moretti, B., 2020).

Unlike this consolidated port development model typical of some regions, Italy’s historic ports have expanded within the urban fabric, often resulting in stagnation, and complicating efforts to integrate ports and cities or redevelop waterfronts, which in other contexts has been made possible thanks to the new availability of spaces. If the development of port spaces in the past derived from regional and local political debate, today it is increasingly driven by global economic principles, which have further hindered shared spatial planning and dialogue with urban areas (Savino, 2010; Venosta, Pavia 2012). The port, in essence, is only one of the links in a global transport chain. The inland areas of Italian ports, saturated with urbanization, and the coastal strip, characterized by the alternation of urban and natural areas, allow limited space for new port activities. Port development must therefore carefully consider the surrounding territory, and cannot be based only on microeconomic criteria or on the sectoral needs linked to the activity of transport and logistics operators (Ducruet C., 2011).

The evolution of the port of Genoa over time. (Source: https://www.portsofgenoa.com/it/. © DAStU, One Works. Elaboration by Aisha Kallil Tharayil).

The renewal of the national regulatory framework on ports (Legislative Decree 169/2016 and Legislative Decree 232/2017) offers opportunities for a shift in how the spatial relationship between ports and cities is interpreted and developed, stepping away from the idea of ports as self-contained, independent, and sector-specific technical entities. Hopefully, the reform’s effects will extend beyond management and quantitative measures, fostering a debate on the quality of border spaces between ports and cities.
This could potentially align Italian ports with European and international standards, letting the strategic development of maritime transport drive urban and territorial regeneration processes.

The case of the Western Ligurian Sea Port System

Italy has 137 main commercial ports and over 500 marinas and landings [2]. According to the European classification, 14 ports are designated as “core” ports, serving strategic corridors: 3 on the “Mediterranean” corridor, 8 on the “Scandinavian-Mediterranean” corridor, 3 on the “Baltic-Adriatic” and 1 on the “Rhine-Alps” corridor. Additionally, 25 ports are classified as “comprehensive”, connected to internal national networks. Recently, the Italian port system has contracted due to shifts in transhipment geography, with North Africa (Westmed) surpassing Italy in volumes handled [3].

The reform of port legislation between 2016 and 2017 aimed to align the country with European standards, particularly within the Core-TEN networks and the Blue Growth Horizon 2030-50. Legislative Decree no. 169/2016 unified port management from 24 to 16 “System” clusters and introduced a two-tier port planning approach: a strategic level via the Strategic System Planning Document (DPSS) for integrated port development, and a programmatic level through the Port Master Plan (PRP) [4]. This reform was driven by European prompts to foster innovation, enhance port-city relations, macro-regional cooperation, and support climate change mitigation, circular, and green economies (Prezioso et al., 2027).

The container terminal at the Port of Genoa. (© Michele Pugliese, 2023).

The implementation of the PNRR, and in the Ligurian case, also the extraordinary measures adopted following the collapse of the Morandi bridge, have accelerated the planning and design processes of infrastructure interventions, which have often been fragmented and poorly integrated into an overarching vision. In Liguria, the planned and ongoing interventions in port areas respond to strategies at both national and international levels, addressing a complex territory from a geomorphological and urban perspective. Consequently, prior to defining the strategy for the new Master Plan of the Port System of the Western Ligurian Sea, it was essential to analyze and connect the trajectories of numerous ongoing plans and projects, assessing the entire urban and territorial context within an overall reference scenario (Nifosì, C., Pintus, F., Pugliese, M., 2025).

The Geography of Italian Port Clusters after the national reform of the port system in 2026. (© DAStU, One Works).

Towards greater Port-city collaboration

Established by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in March 2017, the Guidelines for the drafting of Port System Master Plans (PRdSP) identify two types of port zones: a) operational port; b) city-port interaction areas.

The Strategic System Planning Document (DPSS) compiled in April 2021 by the Port System Authority (PSA) of the Western Ligurian Sea, is the first document that conceives its own port territory holistically and provides guidelines for the individual harbours’ Port Regulatory Master Plans (PRP).

Innovatively addressing the theme of “collaboration” between port and city, the DPSS identifies “inland port areas” and “port-city interface areas”. Here, shared planning is required between all actors involved, first and foremost Port Authorities and Municipalities, as well as other entities such as Conservation bodies. The goal is to jointly identify strategic areas closely linked to both port uses and urban context, eventually defining their planning rules and objectives. The DPSS divides these areas into four categories:

  • Port areas: harbour operational areas, which will be subject to more detailed planning by the Port Authority in subsequent phases.
  • Port areas to be co-planned: state-owned areas of port operational interest, where shared planning processes should be initiated or strengthened.
  • Port-city interface areas: urban state-owned areas, which will be planned mainly by the Municipality.
  • Port-city interface areas to be co-planned: areas located beyond the State ownership border, that are of great interest to both the port and the city, where co-planning processes must be initiated with the involvement of all stakeholders, such as Municipalities, the Port Authority, and other competent bodies.

Within the Port of Genoa, the DPSS identifies specific areas for co-planning, including: the Prà-Pegli axis; Sestri; the Lanterna-Ponte Parodi axis; Ponte Parodi; the shipyard channel; the Darsena Nautica.

Within the Port of Savona and Vado Ligure, these include the eastern coastal strip and the square overlooking Priamar in Savona; the axis between Porto di Vado and Punta dell’Asino in Vado Ligure.

These city-port relationship areas may include uses aimed at passengers (ro-pax, cruise terminals, marinas, fishing), port services (port offices), communal spaces and amenities (roads, parking), and notably, various real estate uses (commercial, office, residential, cultural, and representative spaces, green areas, mixed-use) that are of mutual interest to both the harbour and the city.

In defining these areas, significant emphasis must also be placed on “urban connections” — routes that ensure physical and social links with more permeable and compatible port and city areas, encouraging flows and activities. Within port areas — that are often not accessible to the public — these urban connections also serve as visual links between the city and the sea.

Co-planning Port Areas, Genoa. (Source: DPSS. Re-elaboration © One Works on the Western Ligurian Sea DPSS scheme).

Strategy for the Lanterna-Parodi port-city axis in Genova

As an example of the preliminary strategy proposed in the PRPs of Genoa and Savona-Vado Ligure, the Lanterna-Parodi strategic axis in Genoa (identified by the DPSS) identifies thematic development poles. One of the main objectives of the PRP is to initiate regeneration processes within the urban-port arches, guaranteeing, within each pole along the axis, a “continuity” of quality public spaces.

Along the Lanterna-Parodi axis, the following poles are therefore identified: a cultural-environmental hub around the Lanterna; a commercial pole around the Ferry Terminals; a cultural/tourist-oriented hub at Hennebique-Principe.

The Polo della Lanterna in Genoa is an area of great transformation, which combines past and future. At the heart of this project are the redevelopment of the Lanterna park (compensation for the subport tunnel), the San Benigno Node and the connection between the latter and Calata Bettolo, the regeneration of disused historical buildings, such as the ENEL power plant and Palazzo Pietro Chiesa, important testimonies of the energy industry and Genoa’s port past.

Another key element of this area is the Lanterna Promenade, the Lanterna being an icon for the city, together with the ferry terminal. Built in 2001, this promenade offers views of the harbor and the city; however, it this is currently in a state of decay, and there is definitely room for improvement. The idea is to expand it, enrich it with trees and new services, and integrate it punctually with new modal interchange nodes (public transport, car-bike sharing) to promote more ecological mobility, improve the visual points of contact towards the port and sea landscape, and increase the access points to the coastline.

The general objective is to maintain the operational activities of the port along the quays, concentrating the urban and leisure uses on a higher level, connecting everything through elevated and continuous paths along the promenade. The intention is to create more livable spaces, in harmony with the port, the city, and the greenery, enhancing the iconic Lantern as a point of reference.

A second large pole concerns the commercial and service system by the Ferry Boat Terminal and the shopping center along Via Milano. Here, a series of interventions are planned to improve connections, including the extension of the subway, new cycle paths, and park-and-ride plots to facilitate access and sustainable mobility. The aim is also to redevelop public spaces and make the paths between the port and urban areas more functional and beautiful.

Lastly, the tourist-cultural pole of Hennebique-Principe is located along the Old Port. This space houses important historical buildings, such as the Faculty of Economics, the Nautical Institute, and the Villa del Principe, and is connected via driveways such as Via Buozzi and the Cesare Imperiale Viaduct. The goal is to redevelop these streets and marinas, making these areas of attraction more accessible and livable, through regeneration projects, new uses, and green spaces.

Reference scenario of the Lanterna-Parodi Bridge relationship axis. (© One-Works; DAStU).

The thematic poles of development of the Lanterna-Parodi Bridge relationship axis. (© One-Works; DAStU).

Final Remarks

Italy has a significant number of small and medium-sized port cities that have limited possibilities of expansion. To be competitive, they must develop collaboration strategies between different port systems, and between these and their hosting cities, the cities and their surrounding territory.

A competitive port can contribute to improving the conditions of its hosting city and its wider context through the economic spin-offs that port activity pours into the inland, generating wealth and employment, but also through the induced activities derived from the conversion of the areas and abandoned or underused buildings of the port, into new urban waterfronts and services for the community (Nifosì, De Angelis F. 2023).

Conversely, public entities and cities can support harbors in various ways: through effective land-use urban planning integrated with that of the port; by involving municipal and regional public authorities in drafting port development plans; and by engaging ports in various urban and territorial strategic development plans.


HEAD IMAGE | A view of the port of Genoa and the city in the background. (© Michele Pugliese, 2023).


NOTES

[1] The Temporary Group Companies responsible (RTI) for the new plans consist of: BPT Infrastrutture – Parent Company; Acquatecno – maritime planning; One Works (with support of the Department of Architecture, Urban Studies, and Craft within the Politecnico di Milano) – urban analysis and planning/design guidelines for port-city co-planning areas; KPMG – socio-economic analysis and maritime and land traffic scenarios; Systematica – transport analysis; Environment – environmental analysis.

[2] https://www.istat.it/comunicato-stampa/trasporto-marittimo-anni-2019-2020-anticipazioni-gennaio-settembre-2021/.

[3] Ferrari, C., Tei, A., & Merk, O., (2015), “The Governance and Regulation of Ports: The Case of Italy”, Oced, https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/dp201501.pdf/. pag.17.

[4] https://iris.unirc.it/retrieve/e2047588-f732-7e24-e053-6605fe0afb29/Bellamacina%20Dora.pdf/.

[5] Hoyle, B.S. “The port—City interface: Trends, problems and examples”, in Geoforum, Volume 20, Issue 4, 1989, Pages 429-435, https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7185(89)90026-2.

[6] Moretti, B. (2020). Beyond the port city: The condition of Portuality and the threshold concept. Jovis Verlag GmbH. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353583517_Beyond_the_Port_City_The_Condition_of_Portuality_and_the_Threshold_Concept/.



Article reference for citation:

PINTUS, Francesca and Chiara NIFOSI. “Port-City Interface Areas in the Western Ligurian Port System Master Plans”. PORTUS | Port-City Relationship and Urban Waterfront Redevelopment, 50 (December 2025). RETE Publisher, Venice. ISSN 2282-5789.
URL: https://portusonline.org/port-city-interface-areas-in-the-western-ligurian-port-system-master-plans/

PINTUS, Francesca and Chiara NIFOSI. “Le aree di interazione porto-città nei master plan del Sistema Portuale del Mar Ligure Occidentale”. PORTUS | Port-City Relationship and Urban Waterfront Redevelopment, 50 (December 2025). RETE Publisher, Venice. ISSN 2282-5789.
URL: https://portusonline.org/port-city-interface-areas-in-the-western-ligurian-port-system-master-plans/

error: Content is protected !!