The Resilient Waterfront Economy
Why it matters
Ports, marinas, and waterfront assets are entering a new investment cycle.
Climate risk is financial risk. Serious capital, both institutional and public, is being funneled into coastal infrastructure to mitigate sea level rise, storms, habitat loss, and more.
While communities expect sustainable waterfront development, ports and marinas are under pressure to prove that investing in resilience and biodiversity can ensure long-term asset value.
Thomas Mukamal, a long-time industry leader and former CEO of IGY Marinas, will lead this conversation and bring together port and marina operators, investors, and infrastructure developers to discuss how climate exposure, capital flows, regulatory expectations, and nature-inclusive infrastructure are reshaping the waterfront economy.
Without resilience adaptation, climate-related disruptions could cost ports $25–30 billion annually by 2050. Yes — every year. But there is also a major opportunity to act: nature-positive strategies could unlock more than $54 billion in cumulative value for the port sector by 2030. — World Economic Forum, Future-Proofing Ports: Nature, Climate and People as Drivers of Competitiveness, 2026
Speakers: Thomas Mukamal (Moderator), Maritime investor, former CEO of IGY Marinas Matthew Lawton, Head of Impact Fixed Income, T. Rowe Price Esteban Biondi, Senior Consultant, Marinas & Waterfront Development, Haskoning More to be announced soon…