Cross-scale analyses for coastal areas management: the case study of the Sorrentine Peninsula

The paper presents first results of the research collaboration between the CNR IRISS Institute and the Department of Architecture of the University of Naples "Federico II", within the project "Place-based Regeneration Strategies and Participatory Processes", aimed at addressing the risk reduction to coastal areas, and, specially, to the case study of the Sorrento Peninsula Coast. Coastal areas are here interpreted as "systems of systems" (ecological, territorial, socioeconomic, etc.) defined by characteristic elements, connected each other, and recurring in landscape description as semiotic invariants. The research adopts multi-scaling approach that has been considered appropriate for describing the dynamic of land use change in coastal areas and for pointing out the main impacts generated by. At the present, the research focuses on the topic of accessibility, enhancing the role of agricultural paths and of secondary roads network as part of the integrated management of the territory. This connective network represents an important source of ecosystem services (support services, control, supply, culture) that are crucial for biodiversity, for food production, and for hydrological balance.