Riga is a shrinking city. Overall, Latvia has (in 2020) lost more than 18 percent of its population since 2000; this has been the story of the past 20 years. The story for the next 20 years might well be different. Latvians will be returning after some time abroad, looking for opportunities in their own dynamic country, while also looking for familiarity and ways to raise their children in their home country. They would be looking for an environment that is Latvian and has a unique connection with the landscape, but which also offers the amenities and services of some of the large central European cities where they came back from. Riga Port City can produce a similar dynamic that the Hafencity Hamburg and Nordhavn Copenhagen have done for those cities. It is the ideal place for returners, but also those seeking a new way of life in Riga, and can become a new tourist attraction beyond the old city for Riga.

Riga Port City will be located on an old industrial site inhabited by remnants of the many industries that once made this part of the city its productive heart. By keeping the remnants of the industrial era and documenting them in the “Industrial Library”, the future Riga Port City will get a unique identity and will be part of the history of the city, becoming a link between its past and its future. Using the different „talents“ found in the structure of the site, the site is divided into seven different neighborhoods with distinct characters, open spaces and mix of uses, making each area attractive for different people and target groups who will live, work and stay there, offering a sense of belonging. In the south, around the yacht marina, people will meet and have fun, in the courtyards families will raise their children; around the Eksporta Basin, people will gather to swim and enjoy evening dinners along the decks.

This masterplan provides the basis for the development of Riga Port City, including the Andrejsala Peninsula, the Andrejosta Marina stretching south until the bridge, and the new terminal area in the north. It includes ideas from former masterplans done by OMA and RPC.