River Port Cities Facing Climate Change: Global Examples for Heritage-Based Sustainable Development

River port cities are on the frontline of climate change – as both part of the solution and as early victims of its impact, which demands new strategies for all river port communities. With several study cases, we explore how actions being taken relate to sustainability agendas such as Agenda 2030 of the Association Internationale Villes et Ports. We illuminate the role of heritage in maintaining and fostering identity, integration and sustainable development in port cities. In Strasbourg (France), we show how a port authority can act to improve the connection between port and urban activities, but also how port heritage can be used to educate citizens about port activities. We consider a more institutional approach to fluvial heritage preservation in the case of Lyon (France) and cases in Australia and Cameroon that show how local and port authorities can make efforts to respect local communities along the river and how those efforts can help them plan their development more sustainably.