Trieste, back to the sea. Designing sustainability and development of logistics and industrial port areas after the pandemic

This work traces the stages of a long process of safety and industrial reconversion of an iron and steel industry polluted area, a typical “brownfield”, within the port of Trieste. Since 2014, a series of phases have followed one another, implementing an articulated and complex process. In recent years, this process has had to deal with events and scenarios on a global scale that have significantly affected the port system of the site, with the logistical and geopolitical aspects, demonstrating the adaptability and dynamism of various subjects in knowing how to combine development and environmental protection. The interest in the case of Trieste, provided for by the 2006 Environmental Code (Codice dell’Ambiente), is the first completed application of this law in Italy. The results obtained include the completion of the environmental safety program, the renewal of the existing industrial plant, the increment in logistics activities and the maintenance of occupational levels. Following these encouraging results, the activation of a new second agreement, currently in progress, demonstrates the effectiveness and repeatability of the procedure.