The Inadequacy and Problematic Functionality of Public Open Space in the Modern Greek City and the Need to Overcome Its Deficiencies

Abstract

Public amenities and public space in particular in Greek cities constitute a major aspect of concern, as their inadequacy impacts upon the environmental degradation of urban spaces with direct negative consequences on the quality of urban life. The inadequacy of public spaces has been accentuated by the escalation of urbanization and the increase of urban population in the recent past as throughout the postwar period and especially during its early decades, Greek cities experienced acute pressure for urban expansion. Legislation has played a significant role towards this direction as it has been particularly late in establishing the means to secure the open spaces and public amenities required by a comprehensive and balanced urban development program. Still it is made clear that the inadequacies in public open space are also due to objective and subjective difficulties such as financial restrictions, and tedious legal and administrative procedures. Furthermore and despite the pressing character of the need for efficient planning, local plans conducted in the ‘80s and ‘90s encompassing a holistic approach to the provision of public amenities, were only partially implemented. It lies beyond doubt that the development of cities in Greece however, presents an example in which the organization of public open space has not been properly approached, the main reason being that urban development has tended to follow the needs of individual stakeholders, whether small scale or large scale. Thus, as the urbanization trends escalated, planning legislation in Greece has been particularly late in establishing the means to secure the open spaces and public amenities required by a comprehensive and balanced urban development program, even at times when the dimension of sustainability and the requirements it has set on environmental performance were not overtly expressed. The present paper examines the adequacy and contribution of public open spaces in the large urban centers in Greece. More specifically it attempts to provide a critical overview of past and current legal instruments and policies pertinent to the issue, paying particular attention to their functionality. The above will be tested against the present situation in medium sized cities like Patras and Volos where haphazard development has been less acute than the main urban centers of the country.