Coastal strip. Studies for the construction of an analytical and operational method through transitional morphology

The geographical boundaries of a territory define its characteristics, identity and development over time. The Italian east coast appears to be a homogeneous place both from a geographical and urban point of view. This territory can be read as an urban continuum that develops on the Adriatic coast. The coastline is followed in parallel by the railway infrastructures and the highway that divide the beach from the historic centres of the cities overlooking the sea. Furthermore, the rivers, generated by the Apennines, flow into the sea, creating a vertical pattern to the coastline. The succession of this landscape makes heaps of repeated. This research tries to extract a piece of the «Adriatic city» to read its evolution over time. The study conducted on the city of Rimini aims to build an analytical and operational method for urban projects. The primary tool for identifying recurring shapes and specificities is the map. The cartography translates and underlines the changes and the permanence of the territory. The theoretical background of the research is expressed not only by the studies on the urban continuum of the Adriatic coast but above all by the investigation methods of Italian's type-morphological school.