Papers by Ioannis Spilanis
Αειχώρος: Κείμενα Χωροταξίας, Πολεοδομίας και Ανάπτυξης, May 1, 2005
Island studies journal, May 1, 2017
Sustainable local development is central to debates on socioeconomic and environmental change. Al... more Sustainable local development is central to debates on socioeconomic and environmental change. Although the meaning of sustainable local development is disputed, the concept is frequently applied to island cases. Studies have recently been made of many local development initiatives in different contexts, with various methods and results. These experiences can provide valuable input on planning, managing, and evaluating sustainable local development on islands. This paper provides a literature review of positive and negative examples of sustainable local development for the Aegean Islands, Greece. Out of an initial 1,562 papers, 80 papers made the final selection based on theme, empirical approach, and recency. The results demonstrate a wide thematic variety in research topics, with tourism, agriculture, and energy being the most frequent themes, while integrated frameworks are largely absent. The literature includes a wide range of methods, from quantitative approaches with indicators and indexes to qualitative assessments, which blurs overall assessments in many instances.
Trenutna ekonomska situacija traži od Evropske Unije da brzo i efikasno nađe način da oporavi svo... more Trenutna ekonomska situacija traži od Evropske Unije da brzo i efikasno nađe način da oporavi svoju privredu oslanjajući se na mudar, održiv i inkluzivni razvoj. Razvoj integrisanog pristupa primorskim pitanjima doprinosi jačanju Evropskog kapaciteta za povećanjem odrzivog korišćenja morske privrede. Ovaj pristup istovremeno garantuje bezbednost ljudi i zdravlje morskih ekosistema, s obzirom da je njihova zaštita važna za odrzivi razvoj i prosperitet. Nova strategija Grčkih ostrva – pod nazivom Integrisan Zakonodavstvo Ostrva - u potpunosti uključuje principe Integrisanog maritimnog zakonodavstva Evropske Unije, naročito njegovu ‘Blue Growth’ strategija koja se bavi razvojem kroz seriju marinskih aktivnosti i oslanja se na tri ideje: ‘Kvalitetna’ ostrva, ‘Zelena’ ostrva i ostrva gde svi imaju ‘Jednake mogućnosti’. Da bismo sproveli ovaj zakon moraju se razviti praktično primenljivi modeli, smernice i analitički okvir koji će pomoći donosiocima odluka i administrativnom osoblju da ra...
Island Studies Journal
Many islands face accessibility problems that burden both the cost and the time of sea transport.... more Many islands face accessibility problems that burden both the cost and the time of sea transport. In Greece, with more than 100 inhabited islands, the Transport Equivalent Threshold (TET) was recently introduced to support passengers (subsidizing ticket costs) and businesses (subsidizing transportation costs). The purpose of this study is to explore: (a) the spatial distribution of beneficiaries of TET; (b) the quantities, value and features of the freight transported to and from the islands; (c) to map the geography of the beneficiaries in relation to island size and location. Results reveal the unequal economies of Greek islands, and inter-island competition as well as the high disparities policy tools for businesses have to operate within. Moreover, the importance of radial transport links with the metropolitan area of Athens and the dependence of all islands on imports is highlighted. They also indicate the relative importance of geography in the magnitude and frequency of trans...
Sustainability
Within the globalized tourism market, tourism destinations have the option to turn to sustainabil... more Within the globalized tourism market, tourism destinations have the option to turn to sustainability as a conceptual and management framework for their unique branding and identity proposition. This research highlights the importance and utility of sustainability branding that stems from clustering tourism destinations based on the similarities of their tourism performance attributes. The study builds on secondary data from 11 coastal destinations in 8 Mediterranean countries. The analysis leads to the formulation of three main sets of evaluation indicators: (a) environmental footprint; (b) destination dependency on tourism; and (c) locals’ prosperity, incorporating elements of social and psychological carrying capacity. Findings identify three to four distinct destination clusters based mainly on the attributes of destinations’ cultural and natural attributes, seasonality of supply, typology of prevailing accommodation and tourist profile. From a theoretical perspective, the resear...
The evaluation of tourist products in the context of sustainable tourism is essential in order to... more The evaluation of tourist products in the context of sustainable tourism is essential in order to plan for the regional development. Special forms of tourism are considered as the solution to the problems of mass tourism, even if their socio-economic and environmental impacts are unidentified. In this paper we try to set a methodological framework for the evaluation of different tourist products, according to the principles of sustainable tourism. Two different tourist products are compared: mass tourism and bird-watching in the area of Kalloni Gulf in the Greek island of Lesvos, using questionnaires to the tourists and hotel owners. The analysis focuses on the tourists' profile and the tourism contribution to the island's sustainable development. The results show significant differentiation of special interest tourism and mass tourism in the performances of all sectors (economic, social and environmental).
The present constitutes part of a wider research attempt to examine the impacts of tourism on the... more The present constitutes part of a wider research attempt to examine the impacts of tourism on the host areas using a transformed version of the explanatory tool ‘DPSR’ (Driving Forces, Pressures, State, Response). Τhe Cycladic islands are selected as a case study, and the basic environmental pressure factor examined is tourism related construction activity. Concluding from the data presented, the tourism development paradigms in the study area (3S-tourism hosted in ‘conventional’ accommodation and second homes), seem new construction intensive. The working hypotheses and limitations of the present research application , reflect weaknesses of the Greek institutional framework, towards understanding and managing tourism impacts, let alone sustainability goals.
This paper aims to outline the role that place branding plays in shaping a new framework for sust... more This paper aims to outline the role that place branding plays in shaping a new framework for sustainable island tourism. Islandness, as a contemporary context, underlines that islands share a set of unique features and they need to be studied on their own terms; they combine elements of urban and rural regions at the same time. Place branding is evolving as a crucial element for differentiated marketing that conditionally can also form an alternative tool to achieve sustainability for island regions. Therefore, policy makers need to examine tourism policies for island regions through the lenses of Nissology. The literature review, in this paper, explores why islandness and place branding have become significant for islands' sustainable tourism development. Therefore, building on existing crossdiscipline theoretical foundations, the present paper aims to (a) highlight the link between islandness and contemporary place branding, (b) emphasise the need to establish the term 'island branding', and (c) suggest a potential framework deriving from this linkage as a proper solution for contributing to the next era of sustainable tourism development for island regions.
Island Studies Journal, 2012
Islands, especially smaller ones, are characterized by discontinuity of space and are considered ... more Islands, especially smaller ones, are characterized by discontinuity of space and are considered as some of the least accessible areas. In this paper, we seek to shed light on the accessibility problems that islands face from the point of view of island residents. This shift in emphasis considers additional aspects to accessibility that include the availability of connections to access services required to cover the needs of island residents and the different destinations where these may be available, and the time that one may have to spend to get to these destinations in order to use these services. An alternative measure of accessibility is proposed, based on the time required to travel; this is then applied to three different Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The accessibility of the residents of these islands to selected services is compared with that of settlements in continental Greece of similar population and distance to the capital Athens. The findings clearly demonstrate th...
IISA 2014, The 5th International Conference on Information, Intelligence, Systems and Applications, 2014
In an era of economic crisis and serious environmental constraints, the transition to sustainabil... more In an era of economic crisis and serious environmental constraints, the transition to sustainability enters dynamically the debate over long-term preservation and welfare at a systemic level. Tourism is a resource-(capital, human and natural) demanding sector; this paper explores the variety and diversity of methodological approaches and tools employed in the evaluation of tourism, and their potential to support sustainability-oriented assessments and practices. Ranging from traditional economics-oriented frameworks to assessments of impact and ecological footprint, this paper discusses the prevailing assessment frameworks of specific tourism dimensions heading towards the integrative approaches for Tourism Sustainability Assessment. The review highlights that despite the widespread acceptance of the concept and the international consensus on the importance of its operationalization, the transition towards tourism sustainability remains still a complicated and rather problematic endeavour.
European Planning Studies, 2013
ABSTRACT Islands in the European Union (EU) are very diverse, with many small or very small islan... more ABSTRACT Islands in the European Union (EU) are very diverse, with many small or very small islands and are recognized as territories facing particular development challenges. In this study, we seek to compare the state and the attractiveness of island administration units in their national and EU context and highlight their divergence in different dimensions, building on existing analysis of the European Commission and of ESPON, using more indicators than the GDP per capita. The assessment is performed with the use of five different indexes: one for the state of development, one for changes during 2000–2006 and three for the attractiveness of islands (direct effects of insularity to attractiveness, indirect effects and natural and cultural potential of islands). Findings for economy demonstrate that islands with better economic performance either specialize in a low added value activity (tourism), or have their GDP “boosted” by exogenous influences (duty free area, oil extraction or the public sector). For attractiveness, most of the islands perform very low and the situation of small islands and archipelagos is worse. Since insularity can be considered as a permanent, natural feature affecting negatively, directly and indirectly, most of the factors that make islands attractive, the need for a territorial policy emerges.
Ecological Indicators, 2009
British Food Journal, 2007
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the existing forms of collective action in the Gre... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the existing forms of collective action in the Greek agrifood sector and to focus on co‐operatives, the dominant form of collective action in the agrifood sector of the North Aegean region.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on six contextual and behavioural conditions under which collective action may emerge.FindingsThis paper shows that very successful co‐operatives, according to the six contextual and behavioural conditions, co‐exist with unsuccessful ones, which are characterised by inflexibilities and inability to respond to a constantly changing market. Moreover, the legal status of some co‐operatives (obligatory co‐operatives) is of great interest.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to categorise existing forms of collective action in the Greek agrifood sector. Moreover, it gives information about the co‐operatives of the North Aegean region, based on three research programmes that were conducted in the region.
The embeddedness of local knowledge in the production process can be regarded as an innovation to... more The embeddedness of local knowledge in the production process can be regarded as an innovation tool for enterprises, since it can result in the diversification of production, procedures, products and services and therefore act as a signifigant competitive advantage. The paths through which this can be achived are questioned through the study of small food and beverages firms of the North Aegean Region. The enterprises of the Region consist a rather closed production system due to its insular character. Data were acquired through a research of 94 enterprises of the region, with a structured questionnaire. Results show that although tacit local knowledge is present, its embeddedness as innovation and competitive advantage is rather weak. This is a result of the region's locally oriented production system, which doesn't allow the translation of local knowledge into innovations although significant reserves survive; and also of external market pressures for standardization.
Natural Resource Modeling, 2008
ABSTRACT The term landscape is more and more used as an “umbrella‘ concept, covering a series of ... more ABSTRACT The term landscape is more and more used as an “umbrella‘ concept, covering a series of cultural, productive and ecological processes. In order to uncover mechanisms, monitor transformations and predict changes, a complicated set of interacting factors has to be taken into account. This paper presents a model for estimating social and policy impacts on agricultural landscapes, based on the assumption that agricultural landscapes are shaped at” macro “(landscape) level by” micro “interventions at farm level. The model consists of three parts: an” ecological processes “part, which deals with processes that shape the ecological and aesthetic value of a landscape, a” population dynamics “part, which examines farmer population dynamics and a” policy impact “part, which deals with direct or indirect impacts on farming systems and farmer dynamics and refers to CAP Rural Development Measures. The model is applied for the olive and graze land agricultural landscapes of Lesvos (Greece). Results, apart from revealing landscape change patterns; help to illustrate some mechanisms behind this change and indicate that Rural Development Measures are inherent with minor but important malfunctions that cannot lead to sustainable landscape management and rural development in the area.
The multiform reproduction of the crisis in Southern Europe, considering its contemporary aspects... more The multiform reproduction of the crisis in Southern Europe, considering its contemporary aspects, strongly demands a new theoretical approach orientated to its structural substances. In fact, the contributions of the “ecole de la regulation�? seem to supply the fertile basis for a renewal in the analysis of the crisis, which can deepen in the dimension of its historical specification and its “synthetic�? social content, working in terms of harmony and disharmony inside of forms of social – economic regulation – accumulation. On the other hand, the conception of investment dynamics, in terms of the global system, gives the opportunity to comprehend the word wide development dynamics through their structural expressions: those expressions can integrate the dialectic configuration of firm strategies and national politics. Finally, our description proposes an effort towards an anasynthesis of these approaches, in the base of the “milieu�? terms, which can examine the interactions betwe...
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Papers by Ioannis Spilanis