The phenomena of desertification, sea level rise, salt wedge and extreme weather events identify water as one of the new main challenges for future territories. From the Adriatic coasts to the hinterland, the most relevant issue coincides with an increasing drought problem after decades of interventions aimed at containing flooding beside weak policies of reducing consumption. Extended periods of water criticality are also the results of inadequate forms of management and design both in terms of investments and spatial experimentations. The need of a transcalar re-design water-related spaces for a sustainable water footprint becomes more relevant than the past. The topic of water storage and management (connected to endemic problems of heat island, fire danger) imposes new declinations of design issues for the territory.The main objective of the doctoral program is to explore new analytical and conceptual approaches to develop possible innovative spatial design for saving the hydraulic resource by overcoming the short-term solutions in favor of measurable and applicable long-term proposals. The doctoral path aims at developing new strategies and scenarios saving ground and surface water. Considering climate forecasts and depolluting needs, the scenario include blue and green infrastructures with mobility and production spaces considering new monitoring technologies as tools to integrate visions to maintain the indispensable resource for human and ecological survival.

The candidate is expected to have a background in architecture, urbanism, planning as well as experience in the analysis and design of territories with special frame on hydraulic, territory regeneration issues. Previous training in architecture urban design and urban and territorial planning, will be considered a plus.

The PhD candidate will take advantages of the laboratories and tools of the research clusters based at Iuav University. The multidisciplinary task force includes urban designers, planners, economists, ecologist conducting international research on the interaction between environment, economy, and society in the climate crisis. The candidate will benefit from Iuav infrastructures. Iuav provides PhD programs in Urbanism, Planning and New technologies; the environment is rich of interaction with other candidates and with professors in several disciplines, with the opportunity to attend seminars and courses. The group has intense research contacts with other institutions in Italy and abroad.