Current and Future Challenges in Modern Port Development and Cultural Heritage Preservation within port infrastructures.

Climate change impact is functioning as risk-multiplier to problems which are already apparent and affect infrastructures. In cases of infrastructures within cultural heritage sites, the problem is more complicated. Sea Level Rise and increased storm events can damage structures not designed to withstand prolonged structural pressure, erosion and immersion. Risks affecting coastal cultural heritage may stem from exposure to several hazards and it is important to facilitate a holistic understanding of the factors driving them. Wave energy and overtopping of coastal structures act as potential hazards for people, property and infrastructure. When, particularly, monuments or landmarks are present within the infrastructures, mitigation measures and monitoring are essential. Depending on the level of acceptable risk and the required degree of certainty related to wave overtopping, coastal engineers rely on predictions derived from semi-empirical desktop methods and numerical models for answers. Moreover, the anticipated increase in extreme events due to climatic change makes protection and prevention actions even more necessary. Additionally, restrictions in fund availability and landscape preservation for coastal monuments, make the designing of such interventions more demanding. In this work, the combination of risk assessment analysis related to increasing sea level and storm frequency, wave numerical modelling, breakwater design and economic sustainability is presented. As case studies, the Venetian Coastal port/Fortress of the city of Heraklion (1523 A.D.) and Venetian port of Rethimnon (13^th century A.D.), both located at the North coast of the island of Crete, Greece, are considered. Both ports are tourism hotspots within the region. Numerical modelling results were generally calculated to be consistent with overtopping wave measurements. For the analysis of the wind regime in the near and far future, climatic modelling has been used indicating that, for the coastal area of central Crete, the wind regime is expected to change in the near and far future; an increase not only in wind speeds but also in the prevailing wind directions, the latest affecting the monuments the most. Based on results from on-site measurements and numerical modelling and forecasting, mitigation actions have been proposed, including an expansion of the submerged armouring of the ports infrastructures and the use of natural based solutions for low slope areas, in order to reduce wave energy, run-up and overtopping, so that the monuments can remain functional, safe and accessible for longer periods of time.