Abstract
Port regions are hubs connecting a nation and its hinterland to the rest of the world. Port cities' authorities and actors have always dealt with pressures and compromises in the sharing of space between agriculture, tourism, industry, and urban developments. The limited availability of land created conflicting uses over time especially when industrial sites disappear from the built environment to leave a polluted soil and water. The current literature discusses in detail changes in industrial land use, pollution of industries, and urban sanitary issues. Yet, only a few studies investigate the consequences of past industrial and urban developments on the health of citizens. This paper thus asks: How have authorities considered historical industrial activities in spatial planning policies and what are their consequences on public health in port cities? Of all pollutants, oil appears to be the widest spread with long term risks to human health. Oil industrial development in the port city of Dunkirk in the north of France can demonstrate this influence of past land uses. The objective is to highlight the impacts of past polluting activities over current populations' health in port city regions and the potential consequences of historically contaminated sites on public health.
Highlights
Pollution from past industrial activities can have lasting effects on the health of populations as public authorities of the past disregarded the quality of the soil and the water in the transformation of industrial sites
This paper asks: How have authorities considered historical industrial activities in spatial planning policies and what are their consequences on public health in port cities? Of all pollutants, oil appears to be the widest spread with long term risks to human health
Oil industrial development in the port city of Dunkirk in the north of France can demonstrate this influence of past land uses
Summary
Pollution from past industrial activities can have lasting effects on the health of populations as public authorities of the past disregarded the quality of the soil and the water in the transformation of industrial sites. Private and public actors cleaned the soils of only three of the fourteen identified areas This practice has led to a situation where many in habitants are living on polluted lands that was formerly stocking or transforming petroleum. The webinar revealed a gap in the literature on the impacts of port activities on the health of inhabitants Drawing on these discussions, this brief highlights this gap by mapping former sites, water networks, and analyzing literature and a health report from a public institution. The findings from past industrial developments are important for the efficient and sustainable planning of port cities They will help to tackle the hampering and lasting influence of oil and industrial activities
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