Protected Areas confronted by urbanization processes: challenges and operative perspectives

Urbanization processes are increasingly affecting Protected Areas, especially in Europe. As a consequence, today Protected Area policies cannot avoid considering the urbanization issue and all related critical aspects. The focus of this contribution is centred on the role that Protected Areas currently play in composing the conflict between nature conservation and urbanization processes. More specifically, this contribution looks at the experiences developed in some PAs situated along the Euro-Mediterranean coastal area, confronted by intensive urbanization processes. Also on the basis of those experiences, it eventually tries to underline certain planning and management approaches which could be applied in Protected Areas in order to foster an alliance with the “Cities”.