The role of the port authority and the municipality in port transformation: Barcelona,San Francisco and Lisbon

The relocation of port facilities produces transformations in major port cities. This paper analyses changes that occurred in three case studies: Barcelona, San Francisco and Lisbon. The comparison of these cases and the identification of similar experiences highlight important features of waterfront planning and design. In each case, the dialogue between the municipality and the port authority leads to different solutions for the relocation of port facilities and waterfront regeneration.

Land administered by municipalities and port authorities is under different and autonomous jurisdiction and, between them, transportation infrastructures have created an urban barrier. City and port, through continuous dialogue and convergence of efforts can either succeed to remove the barrier or blur its effect. There are geographical, cultural and historical dimensions that continuously affect the dialogue between city and port as this relates to the process of regeneration and relocating port facilities.

Specific projects of architecture and urban design are useful tools in the convergence of efforts between the two main actors in re‐establishing access from central historic urban areas to the water. In these cases, projects are producing more changes than the urban master plans themselves.