The session focuses on the potential and challenges of the geographical, landscape, economic, legislative, urban and socio-cultural aspects of the spatial planning and ecological design of human settlements. It also considers the various forms of anthropization and environmental restoration that affect coastal territories, with a particular focus on understanding the dynamics of urban systems and how they can be redefined to be more circular and sustainable.
This session includes contributions dedicated to the development of tourism with a particular reference to:
- The imbalance in urban metabolism due to attendance fluctuating at different times of the year;
- The problems related to anthropic pressure on marine and dune ecosystems;
- The over-utilisation of hydrogeological resources, particularly about the issue of groundwater salinisation;
- The problems of the morphological definition of human settlements in relation to landscape transformations induced by the large-scale phenomenon of seaside tourism;
- The processes associated with technological innovation that result in changes to the functional structure of cities;
- The design approach aimed at solving the imbalances caused by human activity and tourism in coastal ecosystems;
- The history, description and enhancement of landscapes, their design and planning, and relevant legislation, especially regarding island territories.
Other topics of the session include case studies on:
- Urban-territorial solutions for more functionally, ecologically and morphologically compliant cities;
- The study of the ecological footprint of coastal settlement;
- The relationship between the surrounding environment and the network of local resources within cities as super-organisms;
- The urbanization of coastal areas and the marine ecosystem;
- The sustainability and the protected areas in participatory and shared territorial governance.
Keywords: Protected Natural Areas. Waterfront. Design and planning of coastal and port settlements. Smart destinations. Urban metabolism. Island territories. Morphology of the coastal urban system. Sustainable tourism and water sports. Anthropogenic and natural landscapes. Sustainability of marine and coastal ecosystems. Impact of new technologies on coastal settlement systems. Ecological footprint.