CONVERSION OF FORMER INDUSTRIAL PORTS INTO TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. HAS INTEGRATION BEEN ACHIEVED?

The transformation of redundant port facilities has become a priority in many cities willing to attract a larger number of tourists. From Baltimore‟s successful initiative to Barcelona‟s dissemination of the model in Europe, one city after another have implemented the same examples with few variations. The objective of the research is to analyze the renovation of former industrial ports in two medium-size cities: Plymouth and Malaga, focusing on whether the projects have matched the initial objectives to turn the facilities into tourist attractions as well as to integrate them in the city life. The methodological process is based on a comparative analysis of five different issues, namely external accessibility, internal mobility, activities, heritage protection and general integration in the urban context. The research process has ended up in the production of comparative maps. Major differences between both examples can be found in the integration of heritage, both cultural and natural, the consolidation of a mix of uses and the existence of physical barriers between the port and the rest of the city.