Spatial Planning in Coastal Zones
Coastal areas, especially those in the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea region, face a severe pressure for development. Within the next few years, tourism, transport, aquaculture and energy use will increase in these regions. Particularly in enclosed seas or coastal zones close to big urban agglomerations, conflicts with environmental protection occur as the environment is more vulnerable than on the open sea or on less densely populated coasts. An Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) can help to provide instruments to protect the environmental quality without endangering economic development. The PlanCoast project intends to promote the implementation of ICZM measures in coastal zones of the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea by enhancing the role of spatial planning within coastal zone management. In pilot projects the land as well as the seaside will be considered when developing and implementing new fields of spatial planning in maritime areas (sea-use planning) throughout the EU's coastal zones in a coherent manner while complying to international standards and facilitating international exchange and comparison of information. At the same time local and regional needs should be reflected.