University and the city. Location strategies, planning/design, and integration in the urban environment: the cases of the University of Thessaly in Volos and the Technological Institute of Kavala, Greece

Abstract

The present article examines the location policies, the approaches of planning and design of universities, their historical development and the contemporary practices. The review of the existing bibliography and the analysis of the contemporary trends and types reveal a rich background of theory and practice. The effect of this background on the relevant experience in Greece is also focused upon. Special emphasis is given to factors affecting location, planning and design of universities in nowadays in Greece, such as land availability, suitability of existing building stock, political priorities, and social pressure from local factors (local authorities, local public, etc.). A comparative approach is used for the analysis of the contemporary types of universities in Greece, as it concerns their integration and functionality in the urban environment which hosts them. Two case studies are examined, the University of Thessaly in Volos, and the Technological Institute of Kavala. They were chosen because they exhibit distinctively different locational and planning models. Elements of special importance to the equivalent analyses are the transportation and communication networks between cities and the universities, and the public opinion concerning the mutual influence and the potential for cooperation between the institutions and the equivalent cities.