CDT-SIS-300: Ports of the Future: identifying the separate objectives of ports and cities, and the alignments, tensions and legislation demands

Globally, major port facilities have developed within or in close proximity to major cities. This creates a tension between a key industrial facility and community requirements (e.g. noise and air quality issues, transport, energy demands, etc). The European Commission has flagged that ‘research is needed to implement new port concepts, new management models, and innovative design, engineering, construction and operation technologies solutions for full customer satisfaction’. This is within the context of ports being a catalyst for regional development and their optimisation and inclusion in the territory is fundamental to ensure that efficient operations will not affect negatively the surrounding areas. Hence the links between ports, their host cities and their wider hinterlands are crucial in determining future developments. Our view is that ports cannot operate in isolation from the environments around them and that they operate as a complex socio-technical systems-of-systems.

In collaboration with leading consultancy Ramboll, the purpose of this study will be to identify the separate objectives of ports and cities (through research, data collection, stakeholder consultation and selected site visits), the alignments and tensions and legislation demands; then to prioritise areas which could be aligned. The ultimate goal is to produce an independent and objective guidance document to assist ports and cities to focus on symbiotic successful infrastructure development

The successful candidate will work as part of a team of environmental scientists with backgrounds in carbon and resource management and particular expertise in circular economy thinking. Due to the nature of the project an appropriate candidate should be driven by innate curiosity and be willing to work at an interdisciplinary boundary. He or she may have a first degree in either a physical sciences related subject or engineering and be able to learn new skills and techniques.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Prof. Ian Williams, Centre for Environmental Science research group, Email: [Email Address Removed], Tel: +44 (0) 2380 598755.

This project is being run in participation with the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (View Website). For details of our 4 Year PhD programme and further projects, please see http://www.cdt-sis.soton.ac.uk/