Urban planning

The citizens' response to the new app that allows them to report zoning and environmental violations on beaches shows us how useful this kind of service can be.

Such tools cultivate the belief that the public is being heard when it cries out for mechanisms to protect the environment and uphold the law.

For the past five years, government officials have exhausted their active interest in tourism with triumphant proclamations about successive new arrival records. As they crowed, the problems from unfettered construction, the mass invasion of cruise visitors, the shortage of water and other resources, inadequate waste management and weak energy networks just grew and grew.

Authorities received over 1,000 citizens' complaints about zoning violations on beaches within five days, it was reported on Monday.

The complaints were filed by citizens through telephone and the MyCoast app.

Authorities conducted inspections of 14 beaches across the country that received most of the complaints and found multiple violations, resulting in fines.

Tourism is the absolute dominator in Greece's zoning plans, with hardly any restrictions imposed, as seen in the text of the new Special Zoning Plan for Tourism put up for public consultation on Wednesday.

Experts have warned about a potential cultural identity loss stemming from the surge in migration from rural to urban areas in the eastern Black Sea region, which is leaving villages increasingly deserted and aging.

Today marks the end of an "era" for Sofia's low-emission zone, which ceases to operate after being introduced on December 1 last year. The zone, encompassing the central area of the city known as the "small ring," covered key thoroughfares such as "Vasil Levski" and "Patriarch Evtimii" boulevards, along with streets like "Gen. Skobelev," "Oplchenska," and "Slivnitsa" boulevard.

The Environment Ministry is standing firm behind its decision to encourage construction outside zoning areas as the final draft of the new regulations will be put out for public consultation in the next few days, with minor variations, despite the outcry from the scientific community. 

Almost 17,700 undeveloped properties outside zoning areas have been sold in the last five years in the islands of the South Aegean and Ionian Sea alone, and of these, more than a third are in the Cyclades chain. 

Türkiye's population data for 2023 has revealed the trend of "reverse migration," as more people are now opting for a life in villages and towns due to the rising cost of living in cities as well as the appeal of a quiet life for retirees and agricultural production for younger people.

Thirteen of Greece's environmental NGOs are calling for the withdrawal of the proposed legislation for construction outside town zoning areas, presented earlier in the month by the Environment Ministry.

In a statement, the NGOs argue the proposed regulations will lead to uncontrolled construction in rural areas, with long-term consequences - not least for the environment.