Suchergebnisse

Today's societies face intense problems caused by rapid urbanization and land degradation, globalization and socio-economic poverty, global warming and climate change that affect the world and can be the cause of natural disasters. According to the United Nations ''urban risk, city planning and the role of local governments in dealing with risk reduction have been recognized as key factors to build resilient communities and nations'' (United Nations, 2010) Physical exposure to disasters can affect not only the informal settlements that carry physical vulnerabilities due to their location or construction practices. In many cases, ''formal'' urban areas are as well vulnerable due to the absence of adequate building standards and urban planning that would reduce disaster risk by physical exposure. The current paper will focus on the coastal city of Chania and its vulnerability because of the lack of urban planning. The case study is selected because it concentrates the characteristics of a typical coastal Greek city, which faces rapid demographic growth and unplanned urban and touristic expansion. The examined city has been diachronically influenced by the liberalization of construction regulations, an unqualified private sector emerged, hastily developing housing mostly with government oversight and without building permits.

The phenomenon that has intensively been recorded in contemporary Greek urban reality is the observed deviation between built urban environment and the process of teaching urban planning in universities. The particularities of local architecture, products of the effort of adapting the peculiar urban landscape combined with the existing climatic conditions, are often ignored in order to create impressive elements (most times copies of international corresponding) aiming at superficial impressions than to function and duration. "Impression of the moment "often restricts urban formations to smoothly integrate within existing urban terrain and prohibits project to adequately adjust the existing environmental conditions. As soon as young students from architectural schools begin their profession as licensed architects, they realise the amount of legislative restrictions they have to face in order to adjust their practices to contemporary Greek urban status. Consequently, they are "trapped" between inspiration and reality. Our paper aims to reveal the way traditional urban design, as developed through years of adaptive function, operates in local urban tissues (Greek islands, town centres etc.) and how new projects have failed to adjust its qualities, neglecting to take into active consideration the existing reality. In light of the research, a few important conclusions have been reached as to propose ways of connecting theory with practice in Greek urban reality.

The paper compares two remarkable fortified historic towns namely Rhodes Town (Rhodes) and Valletta (Malta). In history the two cities were the seats of the Knights of St. John, a formidable military force in the Mediterranean (1306 to 1522 and 1530 to 1798, respectively). Both still possess a rich urban heritage including extensive fortifications. Both are listed as World Heritage Sites. Both are dynamic urban centres and important tourist destinations. The paper compares the similarities and differences on matters of planning and conservation. In particular it will consider to what extent conservation initiatives enable the two cities to cope with modern-day urban and tourism pressures. ; non peer-reviewed