Special Economic Zones planning for sustainable ports: the test case of territorial attractiveness and urban planning in Calabria region

Theattractivenessofregionsandplacesforinvestments,tourists,stu- dents, talented people, and other economic actors is a relevant issue for regional economic development, due to the increasing importance of flows of firms, resources and people on the global scale. Attractiveness for peripheral regions is even harder, due to their nature of marginal and peripheral locations which causes clear locational disadvantages compared to central locations. Calabria is a case of Italian peripheral region which should raise its attractiveness to increase its level of development, improving several critical location factors, like transport accessibility, which in this region is extremely scarce. The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is an opportunity for the development of the territory. The territorial system around the Special Economic Zone must be planned by the strategic urban plan. Only the urban plan determines the inte- grated quality system between infrastructures, urbanization, territory and land- scape. The strategic urban plan for territories with Special Economic Zones con- verts urban spaces into places of development, maximizes the offer of services and technological innovation and increases the quality of life and well-being of citizens.