Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Planning Practice & Research
For a Special Issue on
Planning in transition: the case of Greece
Abstract deadline
27 March 2023
Manuscript deadline
23 October 2023

Special Issue Editor(s)
Evangelos Asprogerakas,
Assistant Professor, Department of Spatial Planning, Urban Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, Greece
[email protected]
Louis C. Wassenhoven,
Professor Emeritus, Urban and Spatial Planning, School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
[email protected]
Planning in transition: the case of Greece
The focus of this special issue is Greece, a member of the European Union located ‘at the corner of Europe’, in a region experiencing geopolitical tensions and the effects of a prolonged economic crisis. Τhe constitution of 1975 established spatial planning as an obligation of the state triggering a process of enacting new legislation over the following decades. However, it was not until after 2000, and under the influence of European Union policies, that planning activity took place across all geographical scales shaping a rational – comprehensive planning system. The turbulence of the economic crisis at the end of the 2000 decade led to legislative reforms aimed at a more flexible and efficient spatial planning process.
Currently, in Greece, the redrafting of plans on a national and regional scale is under way, along with the elaboration of the first maritime spatial plan. The Ministry of the Environment and Energy has also launched an ambitious programme to cover the entire national territory with new local urban plans. In addition, the programme includes ad hoc special urban plans.
Global issues, such as climate change or the energy crisis, are expected to influence spatial policy. Resilience is emerging as a new important concept providing a framework to reconsider planning as a means to deal with slow or sudden changes of different forms. A number of municipalities are experimenting with the introduction of new smart technologies.
A number of key questions have to be answered: What is the impact of political, economic, and environmental crises on planning? Will planning reform lead to a more resilient Greece? What are the current trends and future perspectives of the theory and practice of spatial planning in Greece?
The current economic and social conjuncture in Europe provides a framework to explore new and old challenges that planning in Greece is called upon to address. The following could be dealt with in papers submitted for inclusion in the theme issue:
- Strategic and regulatory planning.
- Adaptability, certainty and/or flexibility in regulatory planning.
- Law safety, citizens’ rights and spatial planning.
- Production of new local and special urban plans and emerging issues.
- Urban interventions and project-led planning.
- Climate change, natural disasters, resilience and spatial planning.
- Impact of digital technologies on spatial planning and smart cities.
- Participatory "bottom-up" planning and impeding factors.
- Minority groups, refugees, economic migrants and spatial planning.
- State of planning legislation and code of planning law.
- Out-of-plan and unauthorized land development.
- Archaeological sites, historic towns and spatial planning.
- Maritime planning and blue economy.
- Current needs to reconsider studies in spatial planning.
- Reform of spatial planning education.
- The impact of EU policies on spatial planning.
The special theme issue may also include contributions covering theoretical issues and planning practice in an effort to provide an integrated perspective from the ‘Global South’.
Looking to Publish your Research?
Find out how to publish your research open access with Taylor & Francis Group.
Choose open accessSubmission Instructions
We welcome original research papers based on empirical research findings on planning practice. We also encourage contributions from practitioners in the form of insightful reviews and illustrations of practice or comments setting out a personal reflection on the topic. Original research papers should be no longer than 7,000 words, practice reviews 5,000 words, and comments 2,000 words. All word limits exclude references and figures. Shorter contributions are welcome.
Please submit a 200-word max. abstract and explanation of the type of paper proposed by 27 March 2023 to the theme editors. The Editor-in-chief of PPR will respond to submitted abstracts by the end of May 2023 and invite the submission of full papers.
Draft papers should be submitted to the theme editors before 23 October 2023. Authors should not submit papers to the journal until they have been reviewed and initially agreed by the theme editors and the Editor-in-chief.
Authors should select ‘special issue article’ when submitting their paper, irrespective of the type of paper. Note that all original research paper submissions will be subject to the standard double-anonymous review process by independent reviewers. A personal invitation to submit a paper might be a possibility but it is not a guarantee that the paper will be published. Practice reviews and comments will be reviewed by the theme editors and editorial board with reference to other independent reviewers if needed.
Papers will be published online as soon as they have been accepted by the editorial team on the advice of reviewers, normally within three weeks. The special issue will be published when the final set of papers is complete. Authors will be allowed generous time for the revision of papers and submission of final drafts. If final papers are not submitted within a reasonable time, they may be omitted from the special issue with the option to publish at a later date.