SMART PORT CITY: Towards digitally enhanced integration of port and city operations

The aim of the project is to enhance smart city-port integration. The realization of the new terminal building at the port of Turku, as well as transformation of the Linnanniemi area bring along changes which influence the physical infrastructure in Turku. The upcoming spatial transformations at the Port of Turku are considered as a catalyst for comprehensive development of digital integration of city-port infrastructure. In turn, the enhancement of digital infrastructure enables the optimal practical use and exploitation of the physical infrastructure of the city and the port. Traffic rearrangements, growing uptake of greener transport modes and mobility options which come along with these spatial changes could also consider the benefits that integrating digital solutions between the city and the port can bring about, facilitating and enhancing mobility, cargo flows, monitoring of various externalities, asset management and communication between users and infrastructure. In practice, this would entail an integration of relevant information, thus bringing the smart services of city and port together to harness the full potential and achieve maximum output as a holistic entity, benefitting various stakeholders and users in different ways.
We propose a project where we identify the crucial interfaces for digitally integrating the city with the port. The project draws on the team’s expertise in business ecosystems, maritime digitalization, and urban sociology. The research methods are qualitative: ethnography, interviews, on-site visits, supported by document analysis which include relevant policies. The aim is to ensure that the port is accessible to all concerned whether residents, tourists, ferry travellers, vehicle traffic, and that the symbiosis and co-existence of the city and the port can be harnessed through solutions enhancing a seamless physical and technological integration. This decreases pollution, thus increasing the sustainability of the port and the city and the economic benefits of using the port - potentially attracting more recurring customers. Regarding vehicle traffic, transport and mobility options, viable digital interfaces between the city and the port are studied with the aim to reduce the use of own cars, whilst simultaneously ensuring that traffic in the area runs smoothly without disrupting the aesthetic values of the historical sites, the peace of urban living, and the economic activities of the port.