Cultural heritage of Phlegraean Fields

Coastal landscapes across Europe are often characterized by overlapping and competing land uses. They are focus areas for settlements and infrastructure, especially road and train networks, and many industries and commercial zones that benefit from close access to harbours. Conversely, the tourism industry is also a major driving force with its own development dynamics and typical spatial patterns. All those economic potentials have attracted people to settle on the coast. This process is ongoing, leading to unsustainable development such as urban sprawl and irreversible consumption of soil and other natural resources. However, water-based recreation has various positive effects on human health and wellbeing – in relation to physical exercise and mental wellbeing, which is one of the main reasons to pursue the widest possible access to the seaside. The urban-land interface is also an important and often vulnerable habitat zone for flora and fauna which brings additional demands on such areas and also places them at risk from damage and degradation the territory. Being a pole of human settlement since early times, coastal landscapes are also often extremely rich in cultural heritage and form part of our collective memory and identity. Their sustainable and integrated planning, design and management is crucial for the mental, social, physical and economic well-being of the citizens.