Evolutionary strategic planning: an integrated approach to urban development and mobility with reference to Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26253/heal.uth.ojs.aei.2026.2373Keywords:
Urban development, Urban mobility, Metropolitan governance, Sustainable urban development, Evolutionary planningAbstract
The growing need for integrated planning of urban development and mobility has become a defining priority for contemporary cities, which are called upon to address a complex and interrelated set of challenges, ranging from the climate crisis and digital transition to socio-economic inequalities. The article approaches spatial planning through the methodological lens of evolutionary strategic planning and examines four key components with reference to the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki: strategic planning and governance, regulation of urban development, the urban transport system, and pilot urban interventions. The comparative analysis reveals common structural deficits, fragmentation of competences, absence of a coherent strategic vision, insufficient evaluation mechanisms, and limited adaptability, which undermine the co-evolution of spatial development and mobility. These shortcomings manifest in a dysfunctional urban environment marked by inequalities in access, environmental pressures, and reduced effectiveness. Building on this diagnosis, the paper proposes a framework for integrated evolutionary strategic planning, structured around six thematic orientations concerning strategic direction, a shared metropolitan vision, governance, spatial organization, urban mobility, experimentation, and participation. A central prerequisite is the institutional upgrading of the metropolitan level through the establishment of a coordinating body endowed with cross-sectoral competences and participatory procedures. The evolutionary approach proposed does not seek to exert full control over the future; rather, it aims to establish institutional and cognitive mechanisms of learning and adaptation that enhance sustainability and democratic governance within the urban realm.
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