Origin and taxonomy of conflicts in seaports: Towards a research agenda

The growing complexity of transport chains with the development of the macro-economic context have imposed a growing pressure on ports as critical nodes inserted in global supply chains. Port activities have an important social, economic and environmental impact on neighbouring regions. Ports definitely generate added value and employment. However, at the same time, local populations increasingly perceive them as factors of negative externalities such as environmental pollution, security risks and traffic congestion. Their complex role in transport networks as well as in local territories inevitably makes seaports a great source of “conflicts”. Various authors have already approached this topic adopting a stakeholder view, but only in relation to specific contexts and case studies and from a mono-disciplinary perspective.The aim of the paper is to investigate the nature and the dynamics of the major conflicts arising in ports. The manuscript, indeed, sets out the various types of port conflicts (e.g., social, institutional, operational, land use, etc.) and the diverse conflict processes impacting on port management.This study shows the results of preliminary fieldwork carried out in some selected ports in France and Italy. The outcomes result from interviews, press articles as well as from a critical analysis of the existing literature. The discussion leads to the definition of a typology of port conflicts, an analysis of conflict mechanisms and the set up of an agenda for further research.