Scientific support on coastal vulnerability for a new urban master plan

Coastal vulnerability to rising sea levels, impacting both coastal assets and ecosystems, poses a significant challenge for urban planners. Successful planning requires a deep understanding of both the natural and anthropic characteristics of a region, leading to resilient strategies capable of adapting to sea level rise. While scientific knowledge is crucial for informed decision-making, an operational interface between science and policy is not always available.In 2021, the Municipality of Lecce in the Apulia region of Italy, with a 20 km long low-lying sandy coast along the Adriatic Sea, initiated an update of its long-term urban plan [1]. The initial draft of the plan underwent a collaborative phase with the local community, involving seven public meetings held between December 2022 and March 2023. Following this phase, dedicated thematic boards were convened, bringing together specific stakeholders, technical experts, and political decision-makers. The CMCC Foundation provided advice on various aspects, particularly addressing coastal vulnerability to sea level rise.The consultancy unfolded through various stages, initiating with the Municipality's quest for information regarding future sea levels. Later on, they contributed a high-resolution digital terrain model of the territory. Leveraging this data, CMCC generated preliminary flood maps for two climate scenarios, utilizing tools such as Google Earth Pro street views [2] and Instagram Reels [3] to provide user-friendly visual representations.For the target year of 2060 outlined in the updated master plan, projections suggest that the mean sea level in Lecce could reach or surpass the current level of higher high waters. This poses a significant risk to houses constructed irregularly on the beach by removing the dunal belt, while saltwater intrusion threatens agricultural land [4]. Despite uncertainties in climate scenarios and coastal flooding models, maintaining a high level of collaboration between scientists and policymakers is crucial. This institutional partnership, along with a better instrumental monitoring of Lecce's coastal territory, can ensure aligning research developments with actual user requirements, including both citizens and decision-makers.References[1] PUG-Lecce, https://www.puglecce.it[2] Dataset of future shoreline of Lecce, https://zenodo.org/records/8009645[3] Reel of coastal flooding maps of Lecce, https://www.instagram.com/p/CzLN90buLOZ/ [4] Mannarini et al. 2024, https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18379.57123 submitted to Frontiers on Climate - special issue “Coastal Climate Monitoring and Downscaling for Adaptation Planning in the Adriatic Sea”