Sustainable Planning and Overtourism in the Island of Capri

The territory of Capri is historically renowned for its extraordinary natural beauty and cultural-historical richness: natural caves and massive cliffs surround the island, while archaeological remains and ancient villas can be found alongside the narrow streets of this Mediterranean town. Over the last century, these elements have characterised an unprecedented urban expansion within the municipal perimeter, reaching a peak around the 1960s, effectively starting the process of ‘overtourism’ that has transformed Capri into one of the world tourism capital. This has resulted in heavy building expansion which has almost completely saturated the available free land, generating an incredibly dense urban grid for such a small municipality and altering the historical-identity character of the place. Moreover, there are major geological and hydraulic hazards affecting the island, threatening to cause serious damage to the urban, hospitality and social system. This paper aims to explore the issues related to the cultural and environmental enhancement of the Capri area. This is connected to the ongoing drafting of the municipal plan that attempts to imprint strategic-methodological guidelines oriented towards an ecological approach for future urban transformation, seeking to regulate the tourist flows that characterise the structure of the city.