Forest “Swallowing” City: The Adventures of Master Plan of Kavala in the Crossroads of Greek Legal Frameworks for Spatial Planning and Forest Protection

Abstract

This paper examines the case of Kavala, Greece, where strict planning regulations and forest protection laws created a legal and planning paradox. Unlike common urban sprawl where cities consume rural land, Kavala faced the opposite: forest land claims by the Forest Department threatened legally developed urban zones approved since 1980. Based on old forest maps from the 1920s–1930s and constitutional provisions, the Forest Department demanded that parts of established urban areas be reclassified as forest land, effectively “de-urbanising” sections of the city. Such action, however, is not foreseen in planning law and has been deemed illegal by the Council of the State. The paper analyses the legal, sociopolitical, and economic consequences of this conflict and presents an innovative solution proposed by the planning team, which could serve as a model for resolving similar planning deadlocks in Greece and beyond.