Sea Level Rise and Coastal Impacts: Innovation and Improvement of the Local Urban Plan for a Climate-Proof Adaptation Strategy

Carmela Mariano, Marsia Marino, Giovanna Pisacane and Gianmaria Sannino
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Carmela Mariano: Planning, Design and Architecture Technology Department (PDTA), Sapienza—University of Rome, 00196 Rome, Italy
Marsia Marino: Planning, Design and Architecture Technology Department (PDTA), Sapienza—University of Rome, 00196 Rome, Italy
Giovanna Pisacane: Climate Modeling and Impacts Laboratory, ENEA—Casaccia Research Center, 00123 Rome, Italy
Gianmaria Sannino: Climate Modeling and Impacts Laboratory, ENEA—Casaccia Research Center, 00123 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: In recent years, the territorial impacts connected to sea level rise have prompted a reflection on the responsibilities of policy makers in transposing these issues into urban agendas. The need also emerged to both broaden and update the skills of urban planners and to improve territorial governance tools, with the aim of developing feasible regeneration and resilience strategies to face climate change. In this paper, a methodology for the production of Flood Risk Maps is presented, as applied to the Municipality of Ravenna, Italy, by only considering the static component of inundation hazard, i.e., the projected Mean Sea Level Rise, as a first step towards increased preparedness. The resulting Flood Risk Maps represent, in fact, an innovation with respect to the current cognitive framework that supports local urban planning, by providing information on a potential risk that has so far been overlooked. The method combines sea level rise projections under the pessimistic RCP8.5 scenario with georeferenced territorial data, aiming to identify the physical consistency of the urban-structure components which are potentially at risk. For successive time horizons (2030, 2050 and 2100), our results show the progressive impairment and potential degradation of extensive urban areas that are disregarded in the urban planning regulations currently in force. This preliminary evaluation phase is aimed at prompting and supporting the necessary updating of the planning tools and regulations adopted by the public bodies responsible for territorial governance, by identifying priority areas for intervention, and helping define mitigation and adaptation actions.

Keywords: climate change; sea level rise; coastal flooding; risk; SLR projections; urban planning; urban resilience; Local Urban Plan; local adaptation strategy; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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