Spatial Planning and Climate Adaptation: Challenges of Land Protection in a Peri-Urban Area of the Mediterranean City of Thessaloniki

Abstract

The growing interest in climate change and related risks has triggered efforts to address both its causes and impact. Climate action is mainstreamed in various public policies in which spatial planning has a key role and operates as a coordinating framework as well as one that enables specific interventions. At the same time, land, an indispensable element of spatial planning, is gaining attention as a natural resource that is closely related to climate change. Increasing need for land protection raises the need for a renewed role of spatial planning of all types and levels. This paper examines issues of land protection related to climate change in a peri-urban area of the Thessaloniki metropolitan area in Greece and seeks to identify how the types of spatial planning contribute to land protection. It is argued that when viewing land protection from a climate adaptation perspective, a renewed relationship between the types and levels of spatial planning that demands emphasis be placed on their cooperation and the enabling of novel approaches such as nature-based solutions becomes apparent.