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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