Beyond the Port City. Marseille, Genoa and Palermo: three Mediterranean Paradigms

The Mediterranean context highlights major analogies and allows the development of a comparative study. Deep coastlines and multi-purpose seaports with comparable throughputs are among the most evident analogies. Mediterranean ports resemble in terms of governmental models on a national scale, public authorities in charge of the development and commercial management of large infrastructures, obsolete infrastructure systems and pressing demands for energy transition within the port industry. In the ports of Marseille, Genoa, and Palermo, the port has been administered by port authorities for some decades now, public bodies whose organization varies according to national regulations. These are entities subordinate to the State whose governing bodies are composed of representatives of the authorities (region(s), province(s), or municipality(ies)). The most relevant analogy is the presence of a diffuse former port architectural heritage for which institutions are developing shared actions involving the threshold areas. In accordance with these requirements and among the six study contexts, the port cities of Marseille, Genoa and Palermo provide a first selection of paradigmatic examples and a challenging field for the port-city project.