Finding a Midpoint between Civil and Military Use. The Case of Villaputzu (Sardinia, Italy)

The paper addresses the issue of the concurrent use of areas for military and civil activities. In particular, the paper analyzes the effect of planning tools on the valorization of a territorial enclave, namely a military training area located in the coastal area of the municipality of Villaputzu (South Sardinia, Italy), that is, moreover, a Site of Community Importance. In this area, thanks to an institutional agreements between the Municipal Administration of Villaputzu and the Ministry of Defense, has been possible define the coexisting ways where is an important coastal military easement. and the use of the coast for recreational tourism purposes through a specific planning tool. In this specific case, the Local Coastline Plan (LCP) has been identified as the planning tool, which better addresses the co-existence of apparently opposite land uses and interests, as those expressed by the local municipality and those expressed by the military hierarchy. The assessment method is based on the capacity of the Local Coastline Plan (LCP) and the Site of Community Interest Management Plan (SCIMP) to create ecosystem services in the military enclave. The evaluation of the LCP and SCIMP shows how their combined action favors the environmental enhancement of territory, contributing to the formation of ecosystem services, The area, initially subject to different constraint (military easements and SIC rules) evolve, by that way, from ‘anticommons’ to ‘semicommons’, guaranteeing sustainable renewal of economic development of the area and looking to become ‘commons’ through planning of ecosystem services.