New Challenges for Combined Urban Planning and Traffic Planning in Greek Cities. The Case Study of Karditsa

Abstract

Over the last two decades, the center of gravity of urban-planning is thrown in sustainability and the various strategies that can be properly applied to transform modern cities into sustainable urban cores. The approach to sustainability is that the dominant capitalist mode of development exacerbates social and economic disparities within and among countries, leading to the destruction of significant natural resources. In that context, Greek cities should adjust their shot-term policies to a long-term strategy that contribute not only in improving their morphology and functionality but also their natural environment. This goal can be implemented by conducting a series of new strategic plans, like Local Spatial Plans (L.S.Ps) and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (S.U.M.Ps.), that promote a combined and holistic planning approach which is something new in Greek urban-planning system and that is the reason why questions are raised about how can policy makers manage the transition from a car-centric city to a sustainable city, in terms of legislative framework. This paper attempts to enlighten this issue by focusing on a case study of Karditsa. Karditsa is a medium-sized city where large-scale cycling interventions have successfully been implemented fifteen years ago, changing, since then, completely the direction of urban planning in Greece. Thus, it serves as an ideal example to present how the new holistic planning approach will be applied. Proposals are made in order for the city to face emerged challenges and provide solutions on sustainable mobility by promoting mixed-use streets, as the next step toward the existing planning projects.