Georgios Tsilimigkas

SPACE, PRESSURES AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE GREEK LANDSCAPE

Abstract Landscapes are the result of the interaction of natural and human factors, with many dimensions; they are part of natural and cultural heritage and an important component of the quality of life. Greece has heterogeneous and mixed landscapes issuing from both geomorphology and the impact of complex human systems. Despite the existence of many and early legislative efforts, Greece has a relatively poor history of spatial planning and landscape has been particularly neglected. The adoption of the European Landscape Convention (ELC) in 2010 provides an updated strategic context for integrating landscape in spatial planning. In this article, we seek to contribute to the discussion of landscape policies and the inclusion of the landscape level in the spatial planning national framework. We identify the dominant landscape types by categorizing landscapes at the national scale with reference to the (combined) presence of three different components: geomorphology, land cover and coasts/islands. Then, we investigate the most important processes of change for each type and link these processes with spatial planning policy. The identification of these dynamics sheds light on current and future trajectories of the changes of Greek landscapes, thus providing challenges for its management in the context of the ELC. The case study concerns the regional level; we focus on Attica, Thessaly, Epirus and the Cyclades and identify the principal characteristics according to the proposed landscape typology.

Evaluating the land use patterns of medium-sized Hellenic cities

Land use morphology has profound effects both on city functions and peri-urban areas. They can either lead to conflicts with negative side effects or generate positive synergies. This study focuses on land use spatial configurations and interprets the interactions among them. In order to evaluate spatial planning policies, the measurement of urban land use patterns is considered to play an important role in the urban development process and deserves further attention. A comparative analysis of the land use patterns of the medium-sized Hellenic cities is attempted, there are also used using pre-existing metrics, some new data from the European Environment Agency Urban Atlas 2006 geodataset and population and construction census data concerning the last decade from the national Hellenic Statistical Authority data set. The Larger Urban Zones of the medium-sized Hellenic cities are chosen as a suitable study level based both on population size and socio-spatial procedures. The results provide interesting information about the diversification among medium-sized cities, while some particularities concerning urban procedures appear to emerge for some of them. Many discussion points arise from this study concerning the data availability, the method, the functional city area delineation and the Larger Urban Zones definition.

Measuring the compactness of European medium-sized cities by spatial metrics based on fused data sets

The main objective of this article is to compare European medium-sized cities in terms of compactness. Both existing and new metrics are used. The metrics are based on the fusion of recently available European-wide data sets with common standards for all countries. The fused data used in specific are Urban Atlas and Urban Audit. One source of inspiration of new metrics is landscape ecology, but the analogies are not always straightforward. The method is applied to a large number of cities. It is found that the combination of existing metrics with those newly proposed is able to adequately describe compactness and its components.

Spatial typologies of Greek coastal zones and unregulated Urban growth

Coastal zones attract a large number of people and productive activities. This puts pressure on ecosystems and affects the organization of local economies, having an impact on social cohesion and coherence. The complexity of coastal socio-spatial systems and the fact that coastal zones, and, more particularly, islands that are considered vulnerable areas (that is, parameters: such as sea level rising, desertification, built-up areas excessive expansion etc) and important for the overall operation of the state imply the significance of a further study of the subject. The paper deals with the principal socio-spatial pressures on coastal zones and islands that are caused by unregulated urban growth. The incompetent spatial planning framework, the “loose” political system, related to urban growth, and the socio-economical characteristics are considered as the principal reasons for built-up areas excessive dispersion. Here, delineation of the coastal zone is proposed, using physico-geographical and man-made variables. Soil Sealing dataset is used to illustrate where built-up areas dispersion and basic metrics can be applied. Furthermore, an overview of the planning spatial framework is attempted, so that the particularities of urban growth can be interpreted.

Marine uses, synergies and conflicts. Evidence from Crete Island, Greece

Coastal zones and marine areas attract a large number of people and productive activities, a fact that causes important pressures on ecosystems and affects the cohesion of local societies. These areas – that is, the large number of islands and the extended coastline - are important for Greece, because of its geography. Coastal zones and marine areas are vulnerable socio-spatial systems exposed to menaces, such as: sea level rising, desertification phenomenon, built-up areas excessive expansion etc., thus, spatial planning is required for their sustainable management, something that is not always easy to implement. The paper aims to discuss key issues of spatial planning emerged from the ratification of an integrated framework for marine planning in the national spatial planning system. For better understanding of the particularities of Greek spatial planning procedures, the island of Crete is chosen as a case study area, where synergies, conflicts and methodological issues come up at regional and local level.

Unregulated urban sprawl and spatial distribution of fire events: evidence from Greece

ABSTRACT Fire events are an annual phenomenon in Greece with damages and even casualties, making their understanding and management important. In this paper, we present fire events provided by NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System and place them along a number of spatial types defined by relief and land cover classes. Results demonstrate that the occurrence of fire events is related more to some land cover classes than others. The most important in terms of overall frequency in all types of terrain is ‘Agricultural Areas’, as a result of farming practices that involve fire. The second more important type of areas is ‘Artificial Surfaces’, especially in low lying areas. These events are related to urban growth and sprawl and are very often a direct outcome of speculation practices with land properties, encouraged by the absence or poor implementation of spatial planning.

Coastal landscape and the Greek spatial planning: evidence from windpower in the South Aegean islands

This paper discusses issues about the coastal and the insular landscape integration in the Greek spatial planning framework. Case study area is the region of the South Aegean, where the proliferation of wind turbines is one of the principal factors of landscape change. The methodological approach adopted is mainly quantitative and is based on viewshed analysis. This paper is also demonstrates that zones with varying impact on landscape can be identified. It also emerges that the spatial planning framework in Greece promotes an ad hoc project-led instead of a plan-based approach to coastal and insular landscape management.