Starting from the initial port site with small lateral quays adjacent to the town center (1), port expansion is the product of evolving maritime technologies and improvements in cargo handling. This is also marked by changing spatial relationships between the port and the urban core, as docks are built further away from the central business district (2). In the later stages, increased specialization of cargo handling, growing sizes of ships, and ever increasing demands for space for cargo-handling and storage results in port activity being concentrated at sites far removed from the oldest facilities. In turn, original port sites, commonly located adjacent to downtown areas, became obsolete and were abandoned (3). Numerous reconversion opportunities of port facilities to other uses (waterfront parks, housing and commercial developments) were created. Three major phases identified so far in the port development process involve setting, expansion and specialization.