Abstract
The paper describes the partial results of the ongoing EU Interreg Italy-Croatia Joint_SECAP (Joint strategies for Climate Change Adaptation in coastal areas) project which aims to identify shared intervention strategies and adaptation measures to climate change in the Adriatic coastal cities by synergizing skills and raising local communities’awareness. The network includes 9 Italian (Unicam –SAAD, Municipality of San Benedetto del Tronto, Regione Abruzzo, Municipality of Pescara) and Croatian (IRENA Istrian Energy Agency, SDEWES centre, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Split-Dalmatia County, Municipality of Vela Luka) partners coordinated by the University of Camerino- School of Architecture and Design (SAAD) who experiment a joint SECAP methodology on 9 target areas on both sides of the Adriatic Sea. The project's approach is conceived on the belief that policies and actions must be coordinated and adapted on a territorial dimension more than on a municipal scale, in order to obtain effective results for adaptation to climate. The project is structured in two phases. The first phase involves the context analysis for each target area through the recognition of plans and measures that each territory has already adopted and implemented, also with the analysis of funding opportunities. In this phase, the partners have carried out risks and vulnerabilities assessments at the district level through the development of impact chains based on a shared methodology. Among the various aspects that emerged from these analyses, the recurring climate related hazards are: heat waves, droughts, extreme precipitation events and heavy hailstorms. The second phase involves the development of climate scenarios for the identification of common adaptation actions which will be included in the joint SECAP plans and that will be elaborated by each partner for each target area, based on the sharing of experiences, measures and data on urban and environmental contexts. Partners are currently defining the two possible climate scenarios for 2030: a scenario 0, that describes the target's area evolution if no intervention on vulnerabilities and risks is undertaken, and the identification of an "optimal scenario" which aims to achieve the best possible environmental benefits of the Action Plan. “Reasonable Plan alternatives" through the activation of a participatory process with stakeholders, local and regional authorities are to be expected. Considering the various adaptation actions included in the SECAPs, the paper will focus on the benefits brought by a system urban greening measures for the Adriatic city through the analysis of international best practices implemented in coastal areas. The methodological experimentation of the Joint SECAP project, that includes also governance, territorial and urban planning strategies as well as a set of possible technological design aspects, will be the starting point of an EU LIFE proposal - Climate Action - Adaptation to climate change, focused on greening actions to counter the climate emergency and make Adriatic cities more resilient, with the inclusion of a wider partnership.
