Regional development

OECD Port-Cities Programme


Publication | Case studiesContact



The OECD Port-Cities Programme aims to identify how ports can be assets for urban development. The programme therefore assesses the impact of ports on cities and regions. It also compares policies aimed at increasing positive regional impacts of ports and limiting negative effects.


The Competitiveness of Global Port-cities

The Competitiveness of Global Port-cities

"Ports and cities are historically strongly linked, but the link between port and city growth has become weaker. Economic benefits often spill over to other regions, whereas negative impacts are localised in the port-city. How can ports regain their role as drivers of urban economic growth and how can negative port impacts be mitigated? Those are the questions that this report aims to answer.".

This publication provides recommendations for policies to national, regional and local governments, as well as port authorities. It provides a synthesis of main findings from the OECD Port-Cities Programme, created in 2010 in order to assess the impact of ports on their cities and provide policy recommendations to increase the positive impacts of ports on their cities.

Case studies

A series of case studies was carried out on various port-cities in the world. These case studies benchmark the performance of the ports examined, analyse the impact of the ports, and assess policy and governance challenges.

Studies currently available are:

In addition the following thematic papers have been issued:


For more information, please contact Mr. Olaf MERK:

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