Glory days – or lack of information – seems to be the direction of research in our country. This is evidenced by the reluctance of dozens of design bureaus involved in urban research to apply for a project with a budget of more than 30 million euros, in which … only one interested party participated. The project concerns the recording of existing road network of the country in unplanned areas in order to establish priority – on which the right to unplanned development will depend in the future.

The tender was announced in November 2022. Technical Chamber, which replaces the Ministry of the Environment in the role of contracting authority for all urban planning studies. The initial budget for the project was €36.5 million (funding comes from Recovery Fund) and, according to his announcement, concerns the consideration of the existing road network (per municipal unit across the country) in unplanned areas. The aim of the project is to “complete the characterization, prioritize it, approve the general network of municipal roads and include it in the overall urban and spatial planning of the country.” However, despite the high (for a research project) budget and the special interest it represents, only one interested party ended up applying. This is an association of companies Eratosthenis S.A., Geoanalysis S.A., Samaras and Associates S.A., NAMA S.A., which provided a 3.1% discount. As a result, on April 13, TEE President Giorgos Stasinos recommended that the project be awarded to a single interested party (the contract has not yet been signed).

The lack of interest, however, seems rather inexplicable, given that every urban study announced in recent months by the TEE (always on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment) usually brings together 2-3 interested parties. In the same “package”, however, there was no shortage of studies for which only one or two candidates applied for the same, very low discounts. For example, for Kefalonia, South Corfu, North Corfu, Korydallos, Nice – Renty, Moschato – Tavros, the studies had only one bidder who offered a discount of less than 5%.

Paradoxes

Recent announcements by the Technical Chamber of urban planning studies have hidden other paradoxes, peculiarities of the perception of urban planning by the Ministry of Natural Resources. For example, it was decided to redesign the coastal façades in three areas: Epirus, Chalkidiki and Pieria with a specific urban plan (i.e. a shorter process). The Ministry has never made public the criteria and scientific studies on which this choice is based. However, two years ago at a TEE event, a spokesperson for the ministry mentioned that the coastal areas that would be explored through special city plans were areas that were either particularly burdened or had development potential. In the same way (with a special urban plan) a joint study will be prepared for the municipalities of Ermionida and Poros.

It should be noted that, despite the large number of urban studies announced so far, the contracts that have been signed are minimal.