4.Abstract

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Abstract

Scenario

The project was born from the awareness of the potentials of Mediterranean ports. As a sea around which some of the most ancient human civilizations were arranged, it has had a major influence on the history and ways of life of these cultures.

Problems: Communication, trade, cultural exchange in the Mediterranean

Political tensions among the Arabian League and Israel slowed down the peace process among the Mediterranean countries. The assassination in 1995 of the fifth Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin was a hard blow. Over the last decade most Arab governments have used the breakdown of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the global war on terror, and the United States military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq as pretexts for the slow implementation of structural economic and liberalization programs. Currently, these same governments are preoccupied with regime protection and consolidating their domestic position at a time of external and local demands for a move towards greater democracy and political freedom. As the IMF and the World Bank have both continually noted, such programs that have been implemented have made very slow progress. National economic policies still seem to be formulated to deal with short-term challenges, while there is little real attempt to embark on long-term strategic planning or to make progress modernizing legal, regulatory, and administrative systems. This is all the more problematic, as the volume of trade between the EU and the Arab states is very small in comparison with EU trade with other regions.

The Barcelona Process has undoubtedly provided a new opportunity for the EU and Arab states to further economic cooperation. It also represents the most viable policy option currently available to Arab states intent on economic development, regional economic integration, and improved participation in the global economy. Nevertheless, from the European perspective, the further development of economic relations with the Arab world, especially in the vital area of foreign direct investment, depends on the successful restructuring of internal markets and significant improvements in the business environment, as well as the implementation of trade liberalization policies. For the Arab participants in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership economic relations with Europe still appear to be based on the traditional core-periphery model, which characterized Euro-Arab ties prior to the Barcelona Process. They do not expect this to change in the foreseeable future. As such, they will continue to judge the success of economic relations with the EU not only in terms of the EU’s ongoing commitment of financial and technical assistance, but also on the Community’s willingness to adopt a more flexible approach that would open the way for a partnership of equals.

Solution – objectives of the NID Project

The Mediterranean Sea represent the means of communication of different cultures. Ports are since the word Mediterranean has been invented the key of communication and exchange among the countries. The connection among the ports can be seen as a layering of meanings. To Improve and to structure the ancient and modern layers allows to agree on shared values and initializing a long-term process for cooperation in the Mediterranean. The three main layer of communication to be developed are: a)economic – to work for shared prosperity in the Mediterranean, including the Association Agreements on the bilateral level. b)political – promotion of political values, good governance and democracy cultural – c)cultural exchange and strengthening civil society. Layers should be structured and expanded by the project.

Pietro Vesconte – Portolano mediterraneo orientale – 1311                                                                                 Carta nautica italiana XVII secolo

The project is conceived as a wide operation that works all along the Mediterranean Sea. The project works at two different scales. The first is designed as a part of the network of the Mediterranean ports. Each port works in relation to the others. The second is at the urban scale. The new part of the port can be active part of revitalization programmes at urban level.

The project is conceived as a network among ports of Mediterranean Basin. The historical concept of the port – a place of protection and isolation of a people coming from the sea – is inverted. Isolation, mistrust and difficulties in communications are the main problem the project aims to solve. The vast range of different culture that lives the Mediterranean Basin requires to have a place – either physical and mental – suitable for exchange and communication. A place free of tension or pressure of any kind. The port is thus conceived as a permanent incubator of democracy, cultural, economical, social and political exchanges. Those port areas are called FreeZones. The ports of Mediterranean work together and they establish a system of incubators spread along the coast line. Every port works in relation to the others and their mutual interactions is inspired by the Portolano (Portolan charts) concept. The FreeZone is the place where two different culture can meet and create profitable dialogues. All the different aspects of each culture should be put in relation and become common. Cultural aspects such arts, gastronomy, history, tourism, education, debates, forums and economic activities should be present in the FreeZones. The areas are physically in the country of reference but they have rights and cultural aspects in common with the others. The project aims to transform the cultural difference among the Mediterranean populations in common richness and development under the Mediterranean name. Knowledge and culture exchange in a common area is the first step toward a more compact Mediterranean Union.

Historic Port system: no connection to the territory NID Port system: FreeZones opens dialogues and 3 level exchange

The net(work)

The project is thought as a wide operation that works all along the Mediterranean Sea. The net is the shape that better represents the aims behind the project. A net is an open fabric of wires woven together and it is defined by its points. The various knots and tangles are fundamental for the definition of either the structure and the final configuration. A net cannot exist without its points. Each point is thus essential and related to the others at the same time. Each point needs the other points to define the system of which it is part of. Moreover the behaviour of each point (movement, flexion, torsion etc.) requires other’s movement and involves the others in a different configuration. Once a point is part of the net it becomes part of a mutual movement and development. The goal of the project is to create a system net-based for the Mediterranean sea. The partners involved will be the points and the system of relation and cooperation will represent the net. The project net-based works at two different scales. The first is designed at the system scale. Mutual relations among the Mediterranean ports as the wires among the knots are the main topic of this level. Each port is analysed in relation to the others not only from a commercial perspective. The second level is the urban scale. The new part of the port can be active part of revitalization programmes at urban level. After the analysis of the wires the knot it-self will be focused.

FreeZones

After a preliminary and strategic corpus of analysis, three areas concerning three case studies will be selected by all the partners. The areas will be considered suitable after a set up of a grid of parameters and values chosen in join-venture by all the partners based on strategic and urban development issues. In fact the FreeZone is a profitable opportunity to connect the city to the port by means of a new area or through the requalification of a dilapidated old area. The FreeZone works as part of a Mediterranean system but also as a part of the urban fabric. Every single project thus should mediate between inter-national tasks and local (urban) functions. In this double task lies the importance (and the novelty) of the project.

For each port area it will be produced a feasibility study that will consider the double value of the project – connection with the other Mediterranean areas and local urban necessities.

Each FreeZone should contain a programme able to generate and stimulate cultural exchanges. The FreeZone is a place where people should experience other’s culture. Restaurants, cinemas, theatres, congress centres, exposition spaces, museum and spaces that offer cultural interaction should be housed in the Areas. Culture and its exchanges are diffused in many ways, from frivolous events to political summit. A wide range of programme can be thus entered in the Areas, according to each country and local values and the feasibility study.

Methodology

In order to increase the cooperation area, creating synergies among the countries, a work methodology will be developed. The idea is to let the research units work together for the preliminary studies. Every research unit collaborate with the others in understanding problems, crucial points and foresee potential strategies and solutions. In the second phase a project will be developed in form of feasibility study. The research units will work in synergy and together. Two workshops per years (for a total period of 4 years) involving all the partners will be organized. A workshop with the participation of every partners will be held in each partner’s country. The design activity should be shared: after a common analysis of the various contexts (where every research group will explain the contextual concerns and scenarios), each partners will collaborate to the design of the FreeZone in the three selected areas. Each project should be followed and supported by the other groups during the annual workshops. This approach forces the different countries to deeply understand the other’s needs and complexity in culture and social aspects. Furthermore the units are forced to solve problems they do not really know before to start the common analyses. As for the chemical synapses, the aim is to build a specialized junctions through which Mediterranean countries communicate to each other. As chemical synapses allow neurons to form circuits within the central nervous system, the FreeZones creates cultural exchange and positive debate and knowledge.

Four Phases

The project is conceived in four parts. Each part is instrumental for the next one. In each phase different experts will be involved in order to cover the topic in all its parts. The think-tank is meant to include sociologists, geographers, economists, experts in international relations, policy and diplomacy, experts in strategic and development planning in international projects and local authorities. All these participants have a specific role in the whole project.

The project is thus divided in four years long phases described as following.

Phase I

As already mentioned in part 3 the definition of the appropriate net system is paramount. This phase will be dedicated to choosing the more suitable points for the net. The aim is the definition of the various points and their connections (wires). The expected results are the definition of three case studies corresponding to three areas within the Mediterranean basin. In order to achieve the results a serie of studies and analysis will be done. A feasibility analysis through a S.W.O.T. Analysis technique will be used. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in each potential knot in the project will be evaluated. A strategic planning method will be used in order to identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to the project.

As consequence of the analytic activities a grid of values and parameters will be set up in order to evaluate the several cases proposed.

The phase I will be completed with the selection of three case studies for the project among the others according to values and parameters decided in advance. An indication of potential other sites for further strategic projects will be also indicated.

In this phase sociologists, geographers, economists, experts in international relations, policy and diplomacy, experts in strategic and development in international projects and local authorities will be principally involved.

Phase II

Once the appropriate candidates will be defined by the phase I, the Phase II will be dedicated to analysis and study of the three different situations. In this phase the three point of the net selected by all the partners will be studied. The port areas to which the project will be dedicated, already indicated during phase I, will be furthermore defined and described. This phase ends with the definition of the areas inside of the three case studies.

In this phase architects, engineers, sociologists, economists, experts in strategic and development in international projects and local authorities will be principally involved.

Phase III

The third phase is dedicated to analysis of the urban implications in the selected sites. The three case studies will be analysed under a urban profile. Questions concerning the effects and consequences of the project for the area in its contexts will be studied. This phase will take in consideration the mutual relations between the existing territory (city, area, province, region) and the project.

In this phase architects, engineers, urban planners, economists, and local authorities will be principally involved.

Phase IV

The fourth phase will be dedicated to the definition of the port area. This part of the project will be the natural conclusion of the three previous phases. The result of this phase will be an architectural and urban proposal for each case studies.

In this phase architects, engineers, urban planners, sociologists, and local authorities will be principally involved.

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