Roberto Di Giulio, Luca Emanueli, Gianni Lobosco, Emanuele Piaia, Marco Stefani ABSTRACT - The increasing hydro-morphological and environmental degradation of lagoon systems is an issue shared by many Mediterranean contexts. A Selective Retreat Strategy could be a radical solution for these sites, in order to better manage the investments and maximize the efforts on some specific settings, deliberately omitting others. This approach comes from a research program developed by Sealine (Ferrara University) on the delta of the Po River. Such lagoon system is highly unstable, vulnerable to intense dynamics (coastal erosion, subsidence, saltwater intrusion, etc.) affecting both its ecological value and the human activities taking place around it (agriculture, fishing, aquaculture, tourism). The infrastructural effort to freeze its evolution is no longer maintainable and increasingly less efficient, given the site dimension and complexity. Besides these remarks, such proposal is encouraged by specific boundary conditions like the low productivity of farming areas and the land ownership arrangements based on few big properties. Therefore, it is possible to envisage a progressive site reorganization according to its historical character of evolving landscape shaped, over the centuries, by the alternation of natural phenomena and human interventions. Keywords: Selective Retreat Strategy, evolving landscapes, scenario-based approach, hyper-natural landscapes Delta regions have always been attractive sites for human settlements, due to their fertility, abundant water supply, proximity to fluvial and maritime waterways, etc. Deltas are among the most densely populated areas on The Plan Journal 2 (2): XXX-XXX, 2017 doi: 10.15274/tpj.2017.02.02.03 Selective Retreat Scenarios for the Po River Delta RE / 53