Fostering energy transition and transport fluidity in European port cities

Europe as a whole is often regarded as a frontrunner in the domain of port-city sustainability, thanks to a wide set of international, national, and local initiatives. This paper is a review of local initiatives that are either individual (single port city) or collective (partnerships among several port cities), in the domains of energy transition and transport fluidity. We find that individual initiatives concentrate in northern Europe, in the largest ports, and at a few southern ones like Valencia or Marseilles. Conversely, collective actions are more concentrated in the south, including mostly small and medium-sized port cities, through projects financed by the European Commission. Besides, we show that port-urban congestion and PM2.5 pollution concentrate in the demographically and logistically largest port cities, which also dominate container throughput rankings and have the highest number of initiatives. We discuss the imperatives of ensuring a better regional balance across the continent and its port-city hierarchy.