Planning and Spatial Development: Theories and Practices

Semester: 1st | Compulsory | ECTS: 7.5
Course: Spatial Policies and Development in Europe
Module leader: Giorgos Velegrakis

Website (eclass)

Module Objectives

i) To present the basic theories, approaches, tools and institutions of planning and spatial development;
ii) To make an analysis of the Greek spatial policies that have been developed over time;
iii) To understand the European and international framework for planning;
iv) To research the issues of uneven development and sociospatial justice;
v) To understand the multiple and correlated scales of spatial planning and development;
vi) To critically approach the policymaking regarding planning;
vii) To discuss the relationship between spatial planning and environmental issues with an emphasis on climate change;
viii) To present and comment on the use of new technologies (with emphasis on the input of big data) and their contribution to planning.

Course Contents

Planning and spatial development are not neutral, technocratic processes, supposedly maximizing choices. Of particular importance is the construction/approach of a planning problem and by whom. There is always a different construction/approach due to conflictual social interests and different scales of power, hence the key political role of planning and spatial development.

Europe is αprivileged laboratory for the analysis of the above with many interesting, applied examples at multiple scales, from the local, urban, regional, and interregional scales. Particularly after the 2009 multifaceted European crisis and its devastating effects in the European South, the course will discuss how the wider crisis affected planning theories and spatial development theories and turn them to crisis as well.

Furthermore, due to the current climate and environmental crisis, new questions and issues have been brought to light and are worth studying. a) Environmental questions are primarily spatial questions and therefore it is crucial to study how they affect – and in turn are affected – by planning and spatial development. b) It is a fact that economic policies within the EU in recent years have focused on the issue of climate change. They focus on policies of sustainability, mitigation and adaptation of both regions and cities. A new set of tools and indicators for “resilience”, adaptation, etc. is being developed that is worth studying, in combination with spatial policies. c) The use of new technologies, and especially the entry of big data has created a significantly different framework for spatial policies. Access to a few different indicators and data on economic, social, and environmental conditions ultimately influences policymaking. Considering these and leveraging the contribution of other fields such as History of Technology and STS (Science, Technology, Society), it is worth taking a critical approach to the correlation between technology and spatial planning.

Teaching and Assessment

Series of lectures held by the module leader and a wide network of scientists and researchers from Greece and abroad. Assessment is based on written assignments during the semester.

Planning and Spatial Development: Theories and Practices

Module Objectives

Course Contents

Teaching and Assessment

Postgraduate Programme “Applied Geography and Spatial Planning”

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Contact Details

Harokopio University