Coastal and Port Planning and Management

The course is aimed at students who (i) intend to develop the necessary skills to work in the field of coastal planning and management, with reference to the processes - natural and anthropogenic - that determine its evolution and (ii) integrate the technical disciplines of planning and design with knowledge of socio-economic and environmental-ecological dynamics, management, legal and regulatory aspects, and organizational rules of operation of ports and port areas.
Specifically, the course aims to provide the basic elements necessary to coordinate planning and management activities in coastal and port areas, providing students with that holistic view of the marine-coastal-port system and the indispensable tools to interact with the various professionals working in the sector.
In teaching, sustainability is considered as an objective of the design and planning process, aimed at improving economic/management efficiency, environmental protection, and quality in the nature/artificial relationship.

At the end of the course, students will be able to (i) understand and evaluate the physical coastal system, (ii) recognize the elements of vulnerability and risk (beach erosion, flooding phenomena, saltwater intrusion, chemical and biological pollution, biodiversity loss, etc.) that affect coastal dynamics and evolution also in relation to climate change, (iii) identify possible adaptation measures and defense policies, and (iv) analyze the urban planning and regulatory aspects that guide interventions on the territory from a perspective of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). Students will also have acquired knowledge of the decision-making and planning processes that lead to the design of ports and the elements associated with their management. The application of advanced mapping technologies (remote sensing, data modeling and visualization, etc.) will also be taught as part of the practical lessons.