برنامه ریزی مشارکتی و توسعه اقتصادی محلی: مطالعه موردی شمال شرقی Halkidiki

In recent decades, there has been an increasing interest in public participation in decision-making processes, due to a whole range of factors, but mainly because society is showing an ever increasing mistrust in governments. Furthermore, through public participation, citizens are given the opportunity to provide information regarding the physical and biological properties of a region, which may not have been detected by the experts involved in developmental policy decisions, but could prove substantial for planning purposes. This situation is further aggravated when, on the one hand, decisions related to economic growth need to be taken which involve mortgaging the environment, sometimes with an irreversible effect and, on the other hand, when such investments can provide thousands of jobs in a country currently experiencing the fifth year of the recession. The relevant research was carried out in Northeast Halkidiki using a structured questionnaire, in order to examine the views of the local residents on issues pertaining to the economic growth of the area and its impact on the environment. The research results show that the residents wish for local development to focus on tourism and livestock farming and hold governmental bodies responsible for the downgrading of the environment. Finally, another interesting viewpoint considers that growth should primarily be based on mining activities; its supporters draw information from the TV and from discussions with their family environment and friends.

In recent decades, there has been an increasing interest in public participation in decision-making processes, due to a whole range of factors, but mainly because society is showing an ever increasing mistrust in governments. Furthermore, through public participation, citizens are given the opportunity to provide information regarding the physical and biological properties of a region, which may not have been detected by the experts involved in developmental policy decisions, but could prove substantial for planning purposes. This situation is further aggravated when, on the one hand, decisions related to economic growth need to be taken which involve mortgaging the environment, sometimes with an irreversible effect and, on the other hand, when such investments can provide thousands of jobs in a country currently experiencing the fifth year of the recession. The relevant research was carried out in Northeast Halkidiki using a structured questionnaire, in order to examine the views of the local residents on issues pertaining to the economic growth of the area and its impact on the environment. The research results show that the residents wish for local development to focus on tourism and livestock farming and hold governmental bodies responsible for the downgrading of the environment. Finally, another interesting viewpoint considers that growth should primarily be based on mining activities; its supporters draw information from the TV and from discussions with their family environment and friends.

Local, regional and national planning for development should not be disconnected from the wishes of citizens. Through citizen participation in all phases of planning, all stakeholders are able to enjoy multiple benefits. This is also the wish of several public leaders who are interested in regaining part of the citizens’ trust they have lost [19]. The area under study has a large number of natural resources which means that planning is harder to implement. Most residents wish for future growth to be based primarily on tourism. This is considered to be a rational approach related to the development of winter and summer tourism, since this particular area has over 230 beaches on the one hand, and also significant investments in traditional guesthouses and many natural beauty spots on the other. Furthermore, there are many people who want to focus on the development of livestock farming and forestry, due to the large number of forests and prairies present in the area; these residents seem to share many common characteristics with the population group that supports tourism. The local people who support such forms of development consider governmental bodies to be responsible for the environmental problems and downgrading of the environment. A different approach towards local development involves mineral exploitation. This particular area