Abstract
Instead of stressing that port cities are characterised by institutional fragmentations with many resulting conflicts, we claim that port cities might be highly constructive in terms of changing tangible and intangible boundaries. To capture this quality, we use the concept of ‘penumbral,’ a combination of perceptional aspects as well as tangible and intangible spatial constellations. This perspective is applied in the case of the Shanghai Baoshan port-city interface through the investigation of the changing tangible and intangible boundaries, and how planning relates to boundary changes in a context of spatial, industrial, and institutional multi-layered structures. Tangible refers to physical boundaries between the port and urban structure or district, while intangible refers to immaterial boundaries created by actors’ views on ports. Based on planning documents, direct observations, and 17 in-depth semi-structured interviews with local governments, port authority, planning departments, and companies, we find that one can indeed speak of penumbral boundaries, based on port-related values and ideas, and particularly on perceptions of the port and port businesses. Those perceptions are the initial power of changing and, following the idea of penumbral boundaries, blurring tangible and intangible boundaries. Finally, we suggest that, following the idea of penumbral boundaries, planning can play a stronger role in connecting the port and the city by first investigating how actors view the port and port businesses carefully, paying full attention to the specific relational context before formulating plans in the usual manner.
Highlights
This fragmented complexity is what the port city planners are facing at the port‐city interface, the redevel‐ opment of which has been a prominent topic for decades (Hoyle, 2000) and continues attracting planners’ atten‐ tion (Hein, 2016; van den Berghe & Daamen, 2020)
Compared to previ‐ ous port‐city studies on tangible and intangible bound‐ aries, we find that, besides spatial elements, tangible boundaries are related to industrial aspects such as port‐related goods, people, and activities
Regarding the formation of intangible borders, we add the elements of ‘distances’ and ‘water.’ Water always increases compe‐ tition and conflict between the port and the city in the port‐city interface literature since Hayuth (1982), though this element seems to be ignored in border studies
Summary
Paasi (2010, p. 2300) states that “one special profes‐ sion or group of advocates who are faced with the fragmented complexity of regions today are planners.” this fragmented complexity is what the port city planners are facing at the port‐city interface, the redevel‐ opment of which has been a prominent topic for decades (Hoyle, 2000) and continues attracting planners’ atten‐ tion (Hein, 2016; van den Berghe & Daamen, 2020). Urban Planning, 2021, Volume 6, Issue 3, Pages 152–165 article analyses the changing borders or boundaries— we use both words interchangeably—of the port‐city interface and tries to understand how various stakehold‐ ers and planning institutions deal with the fragmented boundaries between the port and the city. Previous studies have seldomly compre‐ hensively investigated the tangible and intangible bound‐ aries of port cities from the spatial, functional, and insti‐ tutional perspective, and have paid less attention to plan‐ ning in border changes in port cities.
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