The Emerging Property Development Pattern in Greece and its Impact on Spatial Development

Abstract

Real estate market and property development dynamics in Greece are undergoing some critical changes, exhibiting a new condition which governs the relationship between capital and landed property in the current phase of capitalist development. A key feature of these changes is the formation of a property development pattern which clearly marks a break with the dominant conventional one (structured upon the small-scale owner occupation and the absence of big capital). The potential impact of this new pattern is difficult to assess as yet. Each pattern – the conventional and the newly emerging one – are affecting spatial development differently (in positive or negative terms). As things stand, however, there does appear to be a contradictory coexistence between the two; this is aggravated by inability of state and planning policy, in particular, to actively intervene in the changing spatial economy and society. Thus, there seems to be an inherent risk in the near future of having to cope only with the negative features produced by the two patterns which in a worstcase scenario could result in: continuous urban sprawl, non-planning and environmental degradation, increases in land values, overborrowing, reduction of public space and other socio-economic, functional and environmental bottlenecks.

Long-Term Urban Growth and Land Use Efficiency in Southern Europe: Implications for Sustainable Land Management

“…The population growth rate and the proportion of sparse residential settlements are the variables with the highest net increase in the Spearman coefficient over time. This finding suggests that a lower land use efficiency is mainly caused by low-density, discontinuous expansion fuelled by real-estate speculation and increased demand for specific residential house typologies [23]. Figure 5.…”

“…Since the early 1990s, the de-concentration of the central city followed by the expansion of discontinuous settlements on the fringe was observed [29]. The 2004 Olympic Games had a major impact on fringe development, with massive investments and some transport infrastructure [23,24,30], determining soil sealing and land consumption.…”

“…The stratification of distinct growth waves and the uneven complexity in urban structures and socioeconomic local contexts make European Mediterranean cities intriguing cases for assessing the relation between urban growth and land use efficiency. As a matter of fact, southern European urban regions often developed through paths distinct from either those observed in Western Europe and those found in non-European Mediterranean countries [21][22][23][24]. Sprawl-driven settlement scattering and polycentric development constitute the most recent expansion phase, altering the typical mono-centric spatial organization with negative implications for land use efficiency [25,26].…”

The role of retailing in urban sustainability: The Turkish case

“…Since 1996, the Customs Union between Turkey and the European Union has accelerated relationships with European countries and paved the way for large-scale, Westerntype retail developments. Although limited in number, there are first-generation malls that decayed after a few decades, similar to the situation in Greece (Delladetsima, 2006). However, more modern and larger malls have been continuously emerging in many cities in Turkey.…”

“…The resilience strategies of traditional retailers could be incorporated into such planning. The 'new planning rationale' that is proposed by Edwards (cited in Delladetsima, 2006) seems to be necessary for Turkey as well.…”