Port-city interface dynamics for the Bandar-Abbas port, Iran

Despite the focus of specialized transportation studies on port-city relations from the early days of the container revolution in the mid-twentieth century in developed countries, only a few studies have been carried out on such relations in West Asia. While considering the historically conflicting context, Bandar-Abbas demonstrates a unique and distinctive example of port-city relations. Moreover, despite the historical studies of port-city relations in the literature, qualitative methodologies have not been properly introduced in the relevant field. Therefore, the present study aims to identify and study the development stages of port-city relations, coexistence, or historical separation of these two phenomena. In addition to comprehending the historical dynamics of port-city relations in Bandar Abbas County and its affecting factors, it also intends to understand how the port-city has functioned in the national-spatial structure since its establishment. To this end, it investigates historical documents to understand this phenomenon based on the fundamental changes in Iran and the region, and thereby the conversion of the port-city function and its relations since the beginning of the sixteenth century by focusing on thematic analysis, utilizing the historical-comparative approach and Atlas.ti software. The results confirm the coexistence of the city and the port during their development in four historical periods. While in the final stage and after containerization, city and port functions are separated by moving toward specialization. Also, the results demonstrate that the role of Bandar-Abbas County in the national-spatial structure has been dependent on port-city relations.