The recent experience of Britain's derelict port areas indicates that the process of renewal and reuse is slow and is often restricted to arbitrarily few options. Successful schemes tend to be flexible, small-scale and piecemeal, while continued dereliction is generally associated with land set aside for the ambitious large projects. The political climate for dockland renewal tends to restrict opportunities for experimentation and immediate beneficial use. However, it is unwise to see old docks as too special. They are a peculiar part of the wider process of urban land use change. Successful operation or reuse depends on good relations with this wider social and economic environment.