Sustainable Development (SD) is a fundamental objective in the European Union (EU) and transport is considered one of the key challenges necessary to achieve it. Although transport is mostly contested from the environmental dimension, an investigation of peer-reviewed literature along with EU policy documents suggests that the transport and accessibility (T&A) criteria of infrastructure, accessibility distance, and multimodality can positively contribute to SD. However, despite this synergetic relation between T&A and SD, a practical analysis of such enablers is unknown at the regional European level. Therefore, this study investigates the Mediterranean as a study area by analyzing 79 identified passenger ports as passenger transport land-sea interaction points. Based on open access data, port infrastructure and ship accessibility, hinterland accessibility, and multimodality are evaluated as the passenger T&A enablers for SD. Comparative geo-spatial analyses are also carried out among the passenger ports’ levels of enablers by using the data normalization method. These data driven comprehensive analytical results can bring added value to SD policy and planning initiatives in the Mediterranean. This study may also contribute to the development of relevant passenger port performance indicators for boosting port or regional competition and attractiveness towards SD.

To build resilient and climate-neutral cities, it is required to modify current territorial planning processes to make them more sustainable and virtuous. However, the implementation of new strategies and innovative governance models faces multiple obstacles, economic restrictions, and technical gaps. In particular, local governments often find it difficult to build structured transition processes. This article investigates how it is possible to respond effectively to the need of urban contexts to adapt to climate impacts, analyzing the case of the Climate Transition Strategy (CTS) “La Brianza Cambia Clima”, the first in Italy of this kind. Through the technical framework and the methodology described, the CTS can activate inter-municipal transformative actions through the mainstreaming of planning tools, the construction of a medium-long-term vision, and the identification of concrete and widespread actions to be implemented in the territory. This coordinated and shared strategic approach allows one to give stability, coherence, and continuity to adaptation processes involving different stakeholders and sectors of the Public Administration. Finally, it favors the implementation of multidisciplinary policies for territorial resilience on a large scale.

Climate change is a global phenomenon that poses local risks to sectors across society and the economy. All these growing risks have led the Municipality of San Donà di Piave—located within the Metropolitan City of Venice (CMVe)—to strengthen, over the years, its commitment to the adaptation to climate change in its plans and policies. Nature-based solutions can offer a perfect example of sustainable solutions to cope with climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges. In this context, thanks to the support of the LIFE Master Adapt project, San Donà di Piave, applying its methodologies and creating new territorial information, was able to insert, within its Action Plan for Sustainable Energy and Climate (SECAP), important and structural Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) for the entire municipal area. This experience demonstrates how this process of mainstreaming adaptation actions and NBSs is possible at all levels of government of the territory. It also highlights the virtuosity of replicability in other contexts of the CMVe and the transition from theoretical concepts to concrete actions (NBSs) for adaptation into existing plans. This process happened with a climate-proof modification of the existing planning attitude, whether mandatory or voluntary.

Cities have a fundamental role in the adaptation and mitigation process to climate change. Even though cities will be the main subject of climate change impacts, they can propose solutions and build alternative scenarios. The difficulties that municipalities may encounter in their adaptation processes concern the lack of planning skills, technical knowledge, and human resources. To face these challenges Italian Metropolitan Cities can play a fundamental role in helping municipalities to plan and coordinate their efforts. The process in the Venetian territory has lasted many years and it has led to the awareness that local adaptation policies need to be addressed with broader support. The Metropolitan City of Venice has constructed a methodology for the planning of climatic adaptation. This methodology has been developed thanks to various plans and projects. These projects acted to increase the coordination between bodies, to define a broad area vision, to help municipalities to implement local actions. The role played by CMVe intends to direct public policies towards adaptation and mitigation in a structural way and with broad area governance. The process activated could be replicable in other Italian Metropolitan Cities in the approach and the result even if adapted to local needs.

Contemporary approaches to river management remain hindered by sectoral fragmentation, insufficient spatial integration, and a persistent separation between land and water governance. Consequently, existing frameworks often fail to adequately address the complex and interdependent environmental, social, and economic challenges posed by river systems. This study explores the operational potential of the land-river interaction framework as an analytical tool to integrate fluvial systems within planning processes. By explicitly clarifying spatial and functional connections between terrestrial and fluvial components, the framework aims to enhance the effectiveness of planning instruments for adaptive and integrated management grounded in a socioecological perspective. The methodology is applied to the Marzenego River in northeastern Italy, characterized by heterogeneous territorial configurations and significant anthropogenic pressures. The case study provides insights into the spatial dimension of land-river interactions and supports ongoing local participatory initiatives, such as the River Contract. The study aims at demonstrating that incorporating land-river interactions enables the identification of latent territorial structures, spatial patterns, and immaterial relations frequently overlooked by conventional sectoral planning. Findings show that this approach supports spatially explicit and context-sensitive interventions that address multifaceted territorial challenges.Ultimately, it contributes to embedding fluvial systems within comprehensive governance frameworks to promote environmental sustainability, social resilience, and adaptive capacity. Keywords Integrated water management, land-river interactions, river contract, spatial planning