New institutional amendment for spatial planning at the level of municipalities: strategical thinking and the implementation of the subsidiarity principle

Abstract

Every new institutional amendment should always have as a principal objective to connect in a hierarchical level, the framework of planning with the sustainability issues, based on a unique and time / space relating process. To make this possible in the Greek example, a new strategic planning umbrella is required that could join the environmental and spatial strategies at the level of the Municipalities. In that perspective, the planning thinking should follow some new age principles such as limits, thresholds, demand management, prevention etc. Simultaneously, this new framework could take into account new spatial decisions tools, based on aspects such as flexibility, adaptability, management, transformability etc. In more detail, from the analysis of the new legislation (L.4447/2016), was found that it is not managing to deal with and meet the above-mentioned issues. Also, it is obvious that the past option that used to have the Municipalities for strategic spatial and environmental planning or thinking, has been canceled “ad hoc”. Moreover, was approved that all the new legislation is not complied with the fundamental principle of "subsidiarity," stating that decisions should be taken at the closer level to the citizens (local governance). All the above findings could cause future negative planning and environmental issues.