**5. References**

294 Urban Development

centers of the Metropolitan cities of "*Athens*" and "*Thessaloniki*" grown) to the phase of suburbanization (in the decade of 1980's and after, where the suburban zones of the two metropolitan Hellenic cities expanded). The above transformation also affected the Greek coastal cities and moved their status into a new balance, described by the strengthening of mainly the "*Attica*" prefecture's cities-satellites, which suggests the phenomenon of counter-

Nevertheless, the non-metropolitan coastal population growth procedure in Greece seems to stay indifferent to the eruptive urbanization phenomena of the period 1960-1980, presenting an equable increase. This observation leads to the conclusion that the Greek coastal population growth suggests a product of a mature chronicle augmentative process. This state of maturity implies the result that coastal infrastructures, which were constructed in order to host the population augmentative process, were obviously developed through a natural, unpressured and unbiased procedure, in comparison with the intense metropolitan urbanization cases (which led to an unscheduled and without plan construction of these cities). Consequently, the infrastructure of coastal areas are, more probable, supposed to present a receptor of investments and of further developmental acts, so as to provide a

Regarding the Local Qualification dynamics, Greek coastal cities present better developmental performance than the terrestrial ones in the Tourism case, lower in Agriculture and in the Constructions and statistically equal in the Manufacture case. The Tourism case performance seems to be expected, since Greece is a country with a vast amount of coast lines, a significant maritime environment, a sunshine weather and a voluminous amount of islands (with various morphologies), parameters which suggest attractors of touristic development. On the other hand, this obvious ascendancy of the coastal tourism elects questions about the unexploited field of development that the forest and agro tourism activities can provide to the national economy. However, the coastal case of tourism, although it consists the fundamental axis of touristic Greek development, it has to be further subjected to standardized procedures and policies, as also to scheduled orientation through education, in order to suggest the dominant developmental tool, which may be able to recover the country from the economic crisis. The cases of Agriculture and Constructions do not perform in coastal prefectures better than in terrestrial, ought, firstly, to the lack of arable areas and to transportation ease and facilities. The equal performance of coastal and terrestrial prefectures in Manufactures elects the creativity potentials of the

urbanization and secondly the south-eastern insular regions of Greece.

developmental bus for the country's economical crisis management.

Greek nation that it appears to be adaptable to geographical specifications.

(such as agro tourism for example), without impoverish the healthier coastal.

On the other hand, the overall level of wealth in coastal prefectures resulted to be higher than the terrestrial ones. This conclusion seems critical for the decision making policy consideration, especially during the current period of crisis that Greece is subjected to. On one hand, through a microscopic perspective, this result reveals some directions for the citizens, in order to request better employment and living conditions and, on the other hand, through a macroscopic perspective, it should motivate the terrestrial economic development

It is commonly accepted that the long-lasting neglect of the regional perspective is able to create economically, social and environmental problems, which may decrease any positive


Yeung, Y., 2001. Coastal mega-cities in Asia: transformation, sustainability and management, *Ocean & Coastal Management*, 44, pp.319–333.

Ο' Sullivan, A., 2003. *Urban Economics*, *5th ed.*, Boston, McGraw-Hill Publications, USA.

Yeung, Y., 2001. Coastal mega-cities in Asia: transformation, sustainability and

Ο' Sullivan, A., 2003. *Urban Economics*, *5th ed.*, Boston, McGraw-Hill Publications, USA.

management, *Ocean & Coastal Management*, 44, pp.319–333.
