Docklands Redevelopment around the World

It is fascinating to compare different cities around the world and to see how they have responded to the industrial and commercial changes that shape how our cities operate and how we live.

One of the most notable areas for coastal cities is their Docklands area or ship building sites. Most countries will have one (or more) dedicated port cities, a hub for sea transport. In the past the majority of goods were transported by sea, and the docklands area were crucial for trade and commerce. Given the size of the cargo containers and the massive ships that carried them, docklands or ports had to be big spaces, using big equipment, and also with massive warehouse and storage space to handle the incoming and outgoing goods.

Over time, the way that we transfer goods around the world has evolved. Transport by sea is still a very popular way of shifting materials, but the volume of transport is much less than it used to be and some cities have scaled back their docklands operations. Other cities have taken the decision to move their port operations further away from the residential areas of the inner city, creating large spaces that are ripe for redevelopment.

Porto is still a major transport hub for the country of Portugal, but appearing in some of the warehouse space no longer required by the shipping companies are some of the world’s best seafood restaurants and a growing focus on boutique shopping.

Seattle is a famous deep sea harbor, and their docklands are still used extensively, but the seafront of Seattle is receiving a massive make-over to connect the city with the water and there are some great bargain shopping to be had in the eclectic range of stores that appearing.

The city of Melbourne is another interesting example, their Docklands area includes Spencer Outlet Centre. It is a collection of the best Melbourne factory outlet stores with a vast array of direct factory outlets all in the one location - well known brands such as Industrie and Roger David rub shoulders with less prominent brands such as Dotti and Jay Jays.

The world around us continues to evolve and that’s what makes it a fascinating place. Wherever you are, whichever city, see what is happening in the Docklands area - there is bound to be a lot more going on than just shipping cargo, you are likely to discover great restaurants and also some great shopping.