Developing a regional-scale geotechnical model of the North-Western Adriatic coastal area (Italy) for urban planning and robust geotechnical design

The paper presents a study for the development of a regional-scale geotechnical model of the coastal plain facing the Adriatic Sea, in the south-eastern margin of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). This area is a well-known, heavily urbanized touristic site in Italy, very famous for its wide sandy beaches. The information provided by a large experimental database, consisting of boreholes and piezocone tests, coupled with details on the recent sedimentary evolution of the shallow subsurface, was used to develop a stratigraphic model of the upper 30m subsoil and to obtain a geotechnical characterization of the different soil units. Such accurate geotechnical characterization may be useful to geotechnical engineers working in this area or similar geological environments, in terms of representative values of soil parameters, guidelines for better design of geotechnical investigations, identification of issues peculiar to data interpretation and recognition of potential geotechnical problems. A similar study may result in a useful tool for urban planning and robust geotechnical design.