TITLE:
Strengthening the Resilience of Coastal Cities against Climate Change through Spatial Planning: Evidence from Greece
AUTHORS:
Miltiades Lazoglou
KEYWORDS:
Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Resilience, Greece, Coastal Cities, Spatial Planning
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.10 No.4,
December
9,
2022
ABSTRACT: Coastal cities are complex and ever-changing social, spatial, economic,
and environmental systems. The equilibrium in such systems is challenged, while
resilience is described as their ability to transform and adapt to cope with
the pressures and disturbances they receive. The importance of enhancing the
resilience of coastal cities has been recognized to such an extent that it now
seems to complement the “traditional” approach to sustainable development,
giving it new features and priorities. The pressures on Greek coastal cities are
further compounded by climate change, one of the top policy issues at the
international and European Union (EU) levels. The EU attaches increased
importance to formulating adaptation policies against climate change effects.
This factor is the main reason for the recent institutionalization of a series
of laws and plans in Greece to promote adaptation policies to the expected
effects of climate change. However, at the national level, a framework for
exercising adaptation policies to the expected effects of climate change has
been introduced only in the last few years. This framework sets the rules for
shaping future national and regional policies. The spatial planning of Greek
coastal cities is recognized as one of the main challenges in adapting the
resilience of Greek coastal cities to the expected effects of climate change.
According to the National Adaptation Strategy, Greek coastal cities are
expected to suffer significant pressure due to climate change. However, until
today in Greece, despite its coastal character, the search for those policy
directions and methodological planning tools for its coastal cities has not
been studied sufficiently and in adequate
depth. This paper introduces a methodological framework for integrating
the principles, priorities, structures, and policies in spatial planning
policies to ensure and strengthen the resilience of Greek coastal cities
against climate change.