Project Description

In response to current planetary challenges, a number of thinkers have proposed the need to reverse the dichotomous view between land and marine spaces and adopt an approach to spatial planning that recognises the land-sea continuum. However, despite progress in areas such as marine spatial planning, there is a broad consensus on the need to take into account land-sea interactions and thus to articulate them with terrestrial planning.

This has also been expressed in the European policy agenda in its recent maritime spatial planning guidelines, however, there is still a large research gap on methodologies to take these phenomena into account and on how to establish the necessary institutional arrangements to articulate land and marine planning.

Consequently, this research should contribute to deepen the existing frameworks of analysis, cover those fields that have been little explored and propose a set of possible arrangements for the articulation of land and maritime planning systems in the case study corresponding to the Northern Region of Portugal.

Accordingly, the main objective of the research is to analyse how spatial planning is articulated with marine spatial planning in Portugal, based on the consideration of land-sea interactions in terrestrial and marine planning. Specifically with regard to those linked to the dynamics of socio-economic interaction between uses and activities.

Keywords: Spatial Planning; Spatial Planning Systems; Marine Spatial Planning; Land-sea interactions; Territorial Governance; Multi-level governance.

Research team 

• Nicolás Artaza
• Paulo Conceição (supervisor)

Financial Support

• FCT: 2022.11736.BD

Time Frame

• Started in 2022