{"id":6808,"date":"2020-05-16T14:56:46","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T12:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planbleu.org\/page-theme\/sustainable-cities\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T10:45:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T08:45:08","slug":"resilient-cities","status":"publish","type":"page-theme","link":"https:\/\/planbleu.org\/en\/page-theme\/resilient-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Resilient Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Towards a Euro-Mediterranean Sustainable Urban Strategy<\/b><\/h3>\n

In the face of growing urbanization, increasing climate risks, and rising inequalities, the Mediterranean region must rethink its urban models to ensure their resilience and the sustainability of their development. As the population is expected to double in the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean countries by 2050, pressure on coastal areas is increasing, leading to excessive land consumption, accelerated degradation of built heritage, various forms of pollution, and often inadequate waste management.<\/b><\/p>\n

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Urbanization and coastal development: growing challenges<\/b><\/h3>\n

Rapid urbanization is accompanied by excessive land consumption, accelerated degradation of built cultural heritage, multiple types of pollution (groundwater, air, soil), insufficient waste management, and increasing health risks. Mediterranean cities are also increasingly exposed to the impacts of climate change (heatwaves and urban heat islands, floods, rising sea levels), social inequalities, and the vulnerability of certain groups (women, disadvantaged populations).<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, Mediterranean cities developed around a strong relationship between urban fabric, agriculture, and the environment. Today, urban growth is disrupting this balance, favoring urban areas at the expense of rural spaces, which are being marginalized or absorbed. This imbalance increases cities\u2019 dependence on external resources and undermines local food security. Widespread metropolitanization, coupled with suburbanization, is profoundly altering the structure of cities and their peripheries. Urban outskirts are growing rapidly, while some city centers are depopulating or seeing their social fabric change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Coastalization refers to the increasing concentration of human, economic, and urban activities in <\/span>coastal areas<\/b>\u2014a phenomenon particularly marked in the Mediterranean since the <\/span>mid-20th century<\/b>. This coastal attraction is driven by the development of major infrastructures (tourism, transport, energy, industry), the search for natural resources, and proximity to international markets. The built-up area within one kilometer of the shoreline has doubled or more between 1965 and 2015, leading to <\/span>urban sprawl<\/b> and increased fragmentation of coastal landscapes. Today, nearly <\/span>one in three people lives in the Mediterranean coastal zone<\/b>, with rates reaching 100% in some island states. This concentration is causing unprecedented <\/span>artificialization<\/b> of the coasts, increased pressure on marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and a proliferation of heavy infrastructure such as deep-water ports.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the implementation of regulatory frameworks like the <\/span>ICZM Protocol, <\/b>construction within the first 150 meters of the coast exceeds 20% in nearly half of Mediterranean countries. Risks related to erosion, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events are intensifying, threatening populations and infrastructure. Coastalization also brings diversification and intensification of pollution, with the marine environment becoming the receptacle for waste and contaminants from watersheds. In response, <\/span>integrated coastal zone management<\/b>, spatial planning, and adaptation of development policies are essential to preserve the <\/span>Mediterranean\u2019s natural and social capital<\/b> and ensure sustainable coastal development.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Two Historic Priorities: Transport and Waste Management<\/b><\/h3>\n