Island Interfaces: Insularity, Distance, and Proximity

The main common point between insular territories is a limited amount of land. This might seem obvious or irrelevant because it concerns a large majority of states. However this ‘physical’ boundary defined by nature causes certain impacts: first of all a connection to the outer world limited to sea routes, airborne or artificial constructions, and secondly a feeling of isolation for the island population. The use of airborne or maritime forms of transportation to go beyond the borders of the territory offers island residents the opportunity to travel around the world, but at the same time it forces them to adapt their means of transportation, due to the natural boundaries, which ‘limits’ their movements. Therefore, insularity causes a contradictory representation of distance and proximity but also a perception of the outside world unique to the island. The dialectic perception- representation provokes a view of the world that differs from that of non-island peoples within the population but also among urbanists and planners. The ports acting as an interface between the island and the outside territory must be integrated into the city built nearby to provide urban continuity so that the city can develop outwards, to welcome but also to thrive.