Coastal Resilience through Integrated Planning: Blue Economy, Marine Ecosystem Services, and Coastal Management Perspective. The Case Study of Calabria, Italy

Coastal zones are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, necessitating comprehensive and proactive management strategies to ensure their sustainability and resilience. However, lagging regions such as Calabria, Italy, still lack effective and comprehensive coastal management strategies. This paper addresses the interdependence between marine ecosystem services and blue economy into urban planning aiming to promote integrated methods that recognize their importance in coastal management. To achieve this, the paper provides an overview of the concepts of Sustainable Blue Economy, Marine Ecosystem Services, and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and aims to link these concepts within urban planning. The objective is to reveal how integrating these components can enhance the resilience, sustainability, and socio-economic strength of coastal cities facing the challenges of climate change, thereby driving sustainable coastal development. Using Calabria, Italy, as a case study, the paper illustrates the connections between these concepts through data-driven approaches. The paper advocates for a holistic urban planning approach that prioritize ecosystem-based perspective, fostering blue economy growth, and integrates ICZM to effectively manage coastal areas. The findings highlight the need to incorporate these concepts into comprehensive urban planning for increasing local resilience and tackling climate change for a sustainable future.