Thematic Conference: The Waterfront Management and GI

Thematic Conference: THE WATERFRONT MANAGEMENT AND GI

Genoa (IT), 14th - 18th November 2006

Convenors: GISIG and ICCOPS

	www.gisig.it		www.iccops.it
		with the support of:

Gas and Water Mediterranean Company		Maritime and Sailing Museums	GALATA Maritime Museum

Most of coastal towns developed in a strict interdependence with the sea: their complex and multi-faceted waterfronts are evidence of this evolution, subject to high human pressure and to a multitude of uses. Indeed waterfronts are "dynamic" areas, under a continuous change due either to local or to global causes.

Here the waterfront is considered in its most comprehensive definition, enlarging the scope for analysis from architectonic projects on specific areas to comprehensive planning interventions, expected to lead to deep changes also in the organisation and in the socio-economic structure of towns and in their surrounding areas. In this sense waterfront summarise also a very "dense" urban and peri-urban landscape.

Recent needs and trends, such as the decline of traditional of industry, the changes in the transportation and infrastructures systems, the development of tourism, but also the consequence of the climate change and the demand to reduce pollution, require strong and well considered intervention in these important areas. Similarly, management needs to be able to adapt to development. The situation is particularly evident in European countries, where many different uses co-exist in the coastal area creating an extended and complex, almost regional, waterfront.

In this field, the relevant role of GIS in managing the inputs provided by many different and concurrent, sometimes conflicting, actors, and their capability to elaborate adjustments of programmes and scenarios according to the evolution of the situation, is emphasised by the project, showing different examples and practices under the framework on one side of the different policies (from local to EU level), on other side of the different local needs and of the presently available technical tools.