Speaker
Description
Tourism has been a crucial pillar of the Greek economy for decades. Following the end of the
Greek Civil War, political and economic strategies included programs and agreements aimed at
reforming the state, with the tourism sector playing a key role in this development. In recent years,
especially in the post-pandemic period, the tourism sector has recovered, attracting investments
that have fueled construction activity, particularly large-scale hospitality projects in Greece’s
peripheral regions, such as the islands.
These dynamics of investment in tourism have a range of effects on both the landscape and
natural resources. More specifically, this development model fosters the monoculture of mass
tourism, increasing demands on natural resources for both the construction and operation of this
newly built infrastructure while “consuming” the landscape. Besides that, part of the mass tourism
concept is also the exploitation of cultural heritage elements as touristic attractions for profit
purposes, which negates them from any other alternative functionality. This situation not only
adds pressure to current environmental challenges but also degrades the quality of life in local
communities. On a policy level, there is an absence of regulatory measures to control or limit
these developments, as demonstrated by the New Special Spatial Framework for Tourism 2024.
In the case study of the Lassithi Plateau, the tourist sector already exploits windmills as part of
the local cultural heritage and tradition. This research paper aims to explore how windmills
beyond serving as tourist attractions could play a pivotal role regarding strategic and sustainable
spatial planning at the scale of the local community. How repurposing windmills could tackle
current environmental challenges and contribute to developing a productive landscape that
supports and organizes the local community?
| Keywords | Tourism, Windmills, Community, Productive landscape, Natural resources |
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