3.The NID Project

Layers

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. It provided a way of trade, colonization and war, and was the basis of life (via fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout the ages.

The combination of similarly-shared climate, geology and access to a common sea has led to numerous historical and cultural connections between the ancient and modern societies around the Mediterranean. The history of the Mediterranean region is the history of the interaction of the cultures and people of the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea —the central superhighway of transport, trade and cultural exchange between diverse peoples. Its history is important to understanding the origin and development of the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Maltese, Persian, Phoenician, Jewish, Greek, Illyrian, Roman, Arab and Turkish cultures — and hence is important to understanding the development of Western civilization as we understand it today.

Therefore the Mediterranean Sea represent the means of communication of different cultures. The connection among the ports can be seen as a layering of meanings. The exchanges are different in ways and typologies. A wide range of aspects connect the ports and their countries: commercial interests and economic deals, historic cultural diffusion of several civilizations, tourism routes like cruises or low-cost connection, gastronomic diffusion (the ancient spice trade), international organizations and activities, music and artistic connections, banks, economy and political issues. The layers of interaction are set since long time, especially in the Mediterranean routes. The layers can be extended and re-thought. In the layers of interaction is the key point to enhance the connections and cooperation among the Mediterranean countries. 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. To intensify the layers means promoting democracy, good governance and human rights, achieve security and stability in the Mare Nostrum. Interactions allow to achieve mutually satisfactory trading terms for the region’s partners, the “region” consisting of the countries that participated and establish a complementary policy to the United States’ presence in the Mediterranean.

The layers of interaction are divided in three categories:

• economic – to work for shared prosperity in the Mediterranean, including the Association Agreements on the bilateral level

• political – promotion of political values, good governance and democracy

• cultural – cultural exchange and strengthening civil society

3.The Project

The project is conceived 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. As points are tied together a shift of one point is gradually followed by the others in proportion to the mutual distances. If the net is intended as a surface in geometric terms, the effects of move, scale, and rotate will be distributed to adjacent vertices based on a gradual falloff. This causes geometry to have a smoothed and softened effect on the model.

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.

3.1Network scale

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 need to be connected and know each other in a neutral positions. People need to exchange their culture in a new and democratic way. Population require to have a place – either physical and mental – suitable for exchange and communication. A place free of tension or pressure of any kind. A place that can represent the humus to build up new and profitable relations among different population. 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 big ensamble of pin-points in the Mediterrranean area is in fact very old. The idea is to create areas whitin the ports where a free zone can be established. 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. In this point lies the core of the project: to create places in the Mediterranean for the dialogue and interaction of different cultures. Travellers can arrive to a new country and through the FreeZones have the tools to know and understand the local culture. All the FreeZones are part of a big system which aim to connect the ports of the Mediterranean and to create a profitable interface among the different and ancient cultures. The several population that dominated the Mediterranean Sea in the different ages can find in the FreeZones the opportunity to understand each other by means of a neutral place. 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.

3.2Urban scale

The FreeZones are thought as areas of the port that each country dedicate to this goal. The area should be place of free exchange and free from biases. In this area doesn’t exist the concept of foreign or domestic but only the idea of a wide population of the Mediterranean Sea. The idea of one wide and ancient population of the Mediterranean should be pursued. People in this areas should feel home and at the same time approach the richness of the other countries. Ancient aspects and new knowledge should represent the leitmotiv of the FreeZones.

Each country will design its own FreeZone by dedicating an area of its port considered suitable in urban terms. 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 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.

In order to increase the cooperation area, creating synergies among the countries, a work methodology will be developed. The idea is to let the partners units work together since the preliminary studies. Every research unit will collaborate with the others in understanding problems, crucial points and foresee potential strategies and solutions. Every unit will share his specific knowledge for the sake of the project. In the second phase a project will be developed in form of feasibility study. The research units will work in synergy. The design activity should be made by the contribution of all the partners. After a common analysis of the three case studies and respective contexts, a proposal for each area will be presented. This approach forces 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.

4.Project Organization:

The project is conceived in four parts. Each part is instrumental for the next one. The project will be studied in all its aspects according to different points of view. 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.

5.Diffusion of the results activities

In cultural exchange programme diffusion of information is considered paramount. The project counts 3 different activities:

Seminaries: The project foresees seminaries in each port area during all the process. The seminary is a powerful tool to demonstrate to local authorities and people the progresses of the project. It is also an useful means of confrontation among the other research units. Within the framework of the seminary the participated planning will be a key point. People from local context will be asked time to time to express opinion about the partial results of the project in order to have a more clear understanding of the social positions.

Workshop A series of common design activities will be held together with the other partners units. The interaction of the several units increases the understanding of each particular situation. The cooperation in design activity is helpful to establish specialized connection between the research units involved.

Lectures A series of lectures will be given either in academic and public context among the countries involved. This aim to create knowledge and diffuse information about the general programme, about the Mediterranean Union policy, the result achieved in progress. Beside that, the objective is to generate a wide academic and social debate about the role and potentiality of each country within the Mediterranean context.

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