Challenges in the Framework for Integrated Approaches in Vulnerable Coastal Areas: Case Studies & Innovative Proposals

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 May 2024 | Viewed by 9205

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Territorial management and environmental planning have become increasingly interrelated instruments in vulnerable coastal areas. The complexity and dynamism of the processes of anthropization in these territories are phenomena that require new more comprehensive environmental policies and territorial sophisticated approaches. This changing context forces administrations and researchers in this field to develop increasingly complex and demanding frameworks. However, these actions must be carried out taking into account the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of these phenomena, while highlighting the importance of spatial analysis. This special issue seeks contributions involving innovative approaches or relevant case studies regarding topics such as:

- Sustainability frameworks linked to land use and consumption

- Socio-ecological approaches to solve environmental problems

- Spatial analysis of protected areas policy and management

- Risk analysis derived from human anthropization of natural resources

- Regulatory applications aimed at integrating different knowledge

- Spatial analysis of diffuse pollution phenomena

- Etc.

The special issue includes selected papers of SUPTM 2022 conference. Innovative methodologies, frameworks or significant results from relevant case studies related to all these topics are welcome, but similar ones may also be considered for publication if they fit within the scope of this special issue.

Dr. Salvador García-Ayllón Veintimilla
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Territorial management
  • Environmental planning
  • Integrated frameworks and policies
  • Socio-ecological systems
  • Protected areas
  • Risk analysis
  • Land use sustainability
  • Territorial anthropization
  • Diffuse pollution

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 11365 KiB  
Article
A Procedure for Evaluating Historical Land Use Change and Resilience in Highly Reclaimed Coastal Areas: The Case of the Tavoliere di Puglia (Southern Italy)
by Vincenzo De Santis, Angela Rizzo, Giovanni Scardino, Giovanni Scicchitano and Massimo Caldara
Land 2023, 12(4), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040775 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1004
Abstract
In this research, an operative procedure for the evaluation of land use change that occurred in highly reclaimed coastal areas from the middle of the XIX century up to the present day is proposed. The multitemporal analysis envisages the use of historical maps, [...] Read more.
In this research, an operative procedure for the evaluation of land use change that occurred in highly reclaimed coastal areas from the middle of the XIX century up to the present day is proposed. The multitemporal analysis envisages the use of historical maps, aerial photographs, and satellite images, whose interpretation is performed in a GIS environment. The proposed methodological approach starts from the interpretation of the symbols used in the legend of the historical maps. Subsequently, in order to compare historical information with the most recent land use classifications (i.e., CORINE land cover), a set of twenty-two macro-categories is proposed to find a compromise between a highly detailed land use classification and its applicability to both historical and present-day data. The study area is located in the coastal sector of the Tavoliere di Puglia (Apulia region, Southern Italy), the second-largest coastal plain in Italy. In this area, environmental changes were mostly driven by extensive reclamation and drainage works, which allowed more than 170 km2 of land to be removed from coastal marshes and wetlands. The results show a strong increase in the surface occupied by arable land, urban areas, and saltwork, which today occupy about 57%, 3%, and 23% of the total investigated area, respectively. In contrast, the total surface occupied by grassland, pasture, meadow, and shrubland decreased from 59.6% in 1869 to 4.6% in the present-day setting. It is worth noting that although fluvial sediments were trapped and used to fill the marshy areas, the coastline prograded up to the first half of the XX century, favouring the formation of wide coastal dune systems. Nevertheless, the natural coastal resilience of the investigated system has been reduced since the second half of the XX century, probably as a consequence of the construction of numerous dams in the Ofanto River catchment, which represents the main river in the investigated area. Full article
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21 pages, 4564 KiB  
Article
Resilience Assessment of Traffic Networks in Coastal Cities under Climate Change: A Case Study of One City with Unique Land Use Characteristics
by Meng Wei, Jiangang Xu and Yiwen Wang
Land 2022, 11(10), 1834; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101834 - 18 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1360
Abstract
How to assess the risk of flood disasters and improve the resilience of coastal cities has become a scientific problem that must be solved urgently. This paper aims to construct a resilience assessment model for transport systems in the context of climate change [...] Read more.
How to assess the risk of flood disasters and improve the resilience of coastal cities has become a scientific problem that must be solved urgently. This paper aims to construct a resilience assessment model for transport systems in the context of climate change based on an analysis of the spatial characteristics of regional transport networks and complex network theory, using the Pudong New Area in Shanghai, China as the empirical object. Other objectives of the developed model are to establish a system of homogeneity, efficiency, and stability indicators and to assess the impact of flood depth (up to 7 m) on the resilience of transport networks in terms of static network structure and dynamic network performance by designing flood inundation disturbance scenarios. Finally, the characteristics, change trends, and conceptual connotations of the resilience of transport networks in coastal cities are condensed. The results of this study provide a solid scientific basis for future flood disaster risk management in global coastal cities. Full article
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25 pages, 10246 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Spatial Correlation between Port Areas Configuration and Alterations of the Coastal Shoreline: A Multidisciplinary Approach Using Spatiotemporal GIS Indicators
by Salvador García-Ayllón, Francisco Gómez and Francesco Bianco
Land 2022, 11(10), 1800; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101800 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1605
Abstract
Transformations that occur in the coastal territory often have an important link with the construction of port infrastructures, although establishing a direct correlation between causes and effects is rarely straightforward as they are phenomena that emerge over decades. Moreover, this phenomenon is fundamentally [...] Read more.
Transformations that occur in the coastal territory often have an important link with the construction of port infrastructures, although establishing a direct correlation between causes and effects is rarely straightforward as they are phenomena that emerge over decades. Moreover, this phenomenon is fundamentally observed in developed countries, where we also find the added difficulty that a high number of variables intervene since the coast is usually an environment that is strongly anthropized by human action whilst being an important tourist asset. This study analyzes, from a different perspective than traditional coastal engineering approaches, the existing correlation between the construction of various marinas and coastal infrastructures along the southeast of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The existing geostatistical correlation between the configuration of port areas and the coastal and socioeconomic impacts that occurred during the decades following the construction of these infrastructures was evaluated using spatiotemporal GIS indicators. The results obtained show that there are different patterns of behavior in the impact generated by port infrastructures depending on the spatial configuration of their boundary conditions, beyond the behavior of sedimentary dynamics usually studied in civil engineering. Full article
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15 pages, 8180 KiB  
Article
Vulnerability of Coastal Areas Due to Infrastructure: The Case of Valencia Port (Spain)
by Vicent Esteban Chapapría and José Serra Peris
Land 2021, 10(12), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10121344 - 06 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2824
Abstract
The vulnerability of coastal areas is related to the existence and functionality of infrastructure. Ports have had increased activity in the last few decades due to growing needs of the market. At the same time, there have been huge changes in maritime traffic, [...] Read more.
The vulnerability of coastal areas is related to the existence and functionality of infrastructure. Ports have had increased activity in the last few decades due to growing needs of the market. At the same time, there have been huge changes in maritime traffic, and some ports are specialized in container traffic. The port in Valencia developed notably in the last expansions, in the 1980s and in the recent northern expansion. Valencia’s port specializes in container traffic, and has become a Mediterranean leader and the metropolitan area is an important logistics center. Ports can create coastal erosion by altering wave patterns. The environmental effects of the port of Valencia were analyzed. The Spanish Mediterranean coastline as well as morpho-dynamic units were monitored. The solid transport capacity to the north and south of the Valencia port was estimated, and the effects of other infrastructure on sedimentary sources of beaches were also studied. The port of Valencia’s barrier effect is responsible for the situation at the beaches to the north and south. This effect is total and impedes net sediment transport, predominantly to the south along the stretch of coastline. However, the port is not the only factor responsible for this situation, and the lack of continental sediments must also be considered. In addition, climate change has an influence on the behavior of the coastline. The vulnerability of the coast has increased due to changes in coastal morphology, variations in littoral transport rates, and coastal erosion. To promote sustainable port management, some correction measures, such as sand bypassing, dune rehabilitation, and dune vegetation, are proposed. Full article
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