Ex-ports: The Laboratory Role of the London Docklands In which the author looks at the historical development of Docklands from

In port-cities all over the world docklands are the subject of radical changes and transformations, but the London Docklands area is by far the biggest, with the most extensive and radical transformations, with effects on the spatial, economic and social structure of the whole metropolitan and regional area, which even have national and international importance. Because of the enormous scale, the radical character of the transformations and wider meaning of these transformations, studying and discussing the London Docklands has a worldwide relevance. The area is a laboratory from which every port-city can learn lessons.