Disaster Risk Management and Spatial Planning: Evidence from the Fire-Stricken Area of Mati, Greece

Abstract

The debate over spatial planning highlights the need for more interdisciplinary, strategic, and collaborative methods to achieve broad policy goals such as resilience and sustainability. Risk-based planning is gaining importance due to the rising vulnerability of urban infrastructure. Incorporating disaster risk management into spatial planning requires a geographically based strategy for reducing catastrophe risk. This article outlines the role of spatial planning in the reconstruction of the Mati settlement in Attica, Greece, that was devastated by a forest fire in 2018. It presents a set of proposals that relate to the urban reorganization of the area and considers disaster risk reduction and disaster management, as well as sustainability issues relating to mobility, the management of the natural environment, and the recovery of the coastline as a public resource. The basis for this article is the contribution of the Urban Planning Research Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens/School of Architecture to the preparation of the Special Urban Plan for the fire-stricken area of Mati, Attica, on behalf of the Technical Chamber of Greece.