The port area of A Coruña as a sustainable ICT campus for the UDC

Abstract

The paper aims to illustrate the suitability of the quays of Batería and Calvo Sotelo for implementing an “innovative” use in the Port of A Coruña: the sustainable Campus of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) of the Universidade da Coruña (UDC). This is an unprecedented activity in the most recent port transformations that implies setting the qualities of the place.

The methodological approach comprises four steps. First, the paper analyses the urbanisation models mostly applied in the regeneration strategies of port areas. Second, it defines the case study of A Coruña. Specifically, the research analyses the quays of Batería and Calvo Sotelo, and their evolution over time through the comparison of historical and present cartographies. Third, the study reviews the University archives for identifying the campus model that the UDC proposes in the urban framework. Finally, the research determines a set of sustainability dimensions and associates them with specific parameters of the port area. These dimensions are established in accordance with diverse studies and guides on sustainable university campuses. In summary, the methodology allows us to identify the potential of port areas for hosting university uses.

In the last decade of the 20th century, almost the entire coastline of the Municipal Term of A Coruña is regenerated, with the exception of those areas corresponding to the Port of the city. In that moment, different port activities are transferred from the inner harbour to the outer port area of Punta Langosteira, in the municipality of Arteixo. As a consequence, two port areas of about 6.40 hectares -the quays of Batería and Calvo Sotelo- are released. This relocation allows to complete the city waterfront. But moreover, it provides an opportunity to analyse the suitability of the Port for hosting a University research campus linked to ICT. A complementary use with the ones developed in the urban area, and also with the fishing and tourist activities that respectively take place in the quays of Linares Rivas and A Palloza, and of Trasatlánticos.

With the objective to assess the implementation of this new model, the research analyses a series of existing projects focused on port regeneration, both at national and international levels. Then, it develops a historical approach to the place and contextualises the University in the urban framework of A Coruña. Finally, the notion of sustainability is incorporated as a key element for a balanced development of the port; and its dimensions are connected with specific parameters of the maritime area. The historical dimension is associated with the identity; the cultural dimension, with the recognisability and the complementarity; and the environmental dimension, with the accessibility and the urban mobility. The study also explores the social dimension of the University, which is reflected in the so-called third mission: the transfer (of knowledge) to society. This transfer resides not just in the teaching and research activities that characterise the academic institution, but also in its ability to become a reference of sustainability.

The study establishes a series of qualities that confirm the potential of the quays of Batería and Calvo Sotelo as a sustainable technological pole. The first quality refers to the unique identity of the area, provided by the sedimentation of the different historical layers. The second quality -the recognisable nature of the place- appreciates the heritage value of the various buildings located in the port. The third quality alludes to the complementarity of the diverse existing uses in the adjacent maritime spaces. Finally, the fourth quality addresses the location of the port area, which promotes pedestrian accessibility and the use of sustainable mobility options. Moreover, social and economic transfer reinforces the connection between the port and the University, in a symbiosis that emphasizes the urban character of the port, and also encourages the presence of the University in the city.

Our reflection is addressed to the public administrations that are involved in the subject: Autoridad Portuaria de A Coruña, Ayuntamiento de A Coruña, Ministerio de Fomento and UDC.