Spatial Planning and Tourism Development of Serifos Towards a Framework for Sustainable Development.

Pdf
Published: Apr 30, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/ta.41605
Keywords:
Spatial Planning, Tourism, Building, Small islands, Sustainable development
Miltiadis Lazoglou
Town and Country Planner
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0321-682X
Maria Tziraki
Elissavet Chatzinikolaou
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6043-9608
Abstract

This study investigates the complex interplay between tourism development and spatial planning on Serifos, a Cycladic island undergoing rapid transformation under seasonal visitor pressure. Drawing from the principles of sustainable development, the paper presents an integrated analytical approach combining geospatial diagnostics, empirical indicators, and policy evaluation. Using building footprint data and short-term rental distributions, the analysis identifies spatial stress zones, development conflicts, and regulatory gaps, especially in non-designated urban areas and protected environmental zones. The findings demonstrate that over 50% of the built surface lies outside statutory boundaries, exacerbating infrastructure strain and landscape fragmentation. A composite zoning strategy and thematic interventions are proposed, culminating in a spatial framework aligned with the island’s ecological thresholds and cultural assets. The paper concludes with legal recommendations and a proposal for establishing a permanent monitoring mechanism (DMMO) to ensure adaptive and participatory governance.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Spatial Planning
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Coccossis, H., Mexa, A.: The Challenge of Tourism Carrying Capacity Assessment. Ashgate, Aldershot (2004)
Vagiona, D.G., Palloglou, A.: An indicator-based system to assess tourism carrying capacity in a Greek island. Int. J. Tour. Policy 11(2), 123–145 (2021). doi:10.1504/IJTP.2021.118660
Tsartas, P.: Tourism development and social change in Greek island communities. Ann. Tour. Res. 30(2), 356–377 (2003). doi:10.1016/S0160-7383(02)00102-7
Vandarakis, D., Malliouri, D., Petrakis, S., Kapsimalis, V., Moraitis, V., Hatiris, G.-A., Panagiotopoulos, I.: Carrying capacity and assessment of the tourism sector in the South Aegean Region, G
Adrianto, L., Bengen, D. G., & Wardiatno, Y. (2021). Assessing social-ecological system carrying capacity for urban island tourism in Indonesia. Ocean & Coastal Management, 208, 105623.
Lazoglou, M., Angelides, D.: Development of a spatial decision-support system for land-use suitability assessment: the case of complex tourism accommodation in Greece. Res. Glob. 2, 100022 (2020). doi:10.1016/j.resglo.2020.100022
Iliopoulou, F., Mavraganis, G., Sdoukopoulos, A.: Geographically weighted regression models for short-term-rental pricing: evidence from Athens. Habitat Int. 142, 102885 (2024). doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.102885
Papatheodorou, A., Vlassi, M., Karachalis, N.: Destination-management organisations and resilience building in post-pandemic tourism. Curr. Issues Tour. 28(1), 1–20 (2025). doi:10.1080/13683500.2025.000000
Gössling, S., Peeters, P.: Overtourism and adaptive carrying capacity: conceptual advances and management implications. J. Sustain. Tour. 30(9), 1876–1894 (2022). doi:10.1080/09669582.2022.2011234
Butler, R., Ruhanen, L.: Adaptive carrying capacity and destination-lifecycle theory: reconciling limits with dynamism. Ann. Tour. Res. 97, 103448 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.annals.2023.103448
Kim, J., Gu, Z., Chen, Y.: Integrating high-frequency sensor data into adaptive carrying-capacity dashboards. Sustainability 15(1), 567 (2023). doi:10.3390/su15010567
Hadwen, W.L., McEvoy, D., Georgiou, C.: Climate-change shocks and water-limited island tourism: recalibrating carrying capacity in the Cyclades. Clim. Risk Manag. 37, 100452 (2025). doi:10.1016/j.crm.2025.100452
Papageorgiou, K.: Designing adaptive-capacity strategies for Greek islands. J. Tour. Futures 11(1), 23–41 (2024). doi:10.1108/JTF-05-2024-0001
Lazoglou, M., Voulelis, P., Asprogerakas, E., Koudouni, A. & Serraos, K. (2019) "Tourism carrying capacity as a tool for spatial planning: an index-based approach for the Greek islands". In 4th International Conference on Changing Cities IV: Spatial, Design, Landscape & Socio-economic Dimensions. Chania, Crete Island, Greece, 24-29 June, 1139-1148.
Asprogerakas E. & Tasopoulou A, (2024) From sustainability to resilience: tracing the transition path for spatial planning policy in Greece, European Spatial Research and Policy, 31-1, doi.org/10.18778/1231-1952.31.1.04
Tsilimigkas, G., Gourgiotis, A., & Derdemezi, E. T. (2022). Spatial planning incompetence to discourage urban sprawl on Greek Islands. Evidence from Paros, Greece. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 26(2), 11.
Gourgiotis, A., Stathopoulou, M., Stamou, A.: Fragmented competences and investment-led planning: barriers to sustainable tourism in Greece. J. Plan. Pract. Res. 40(3), 278–295 (2023). doi:10.1080/02697459.2023.000000
Kiousis, I., Papadopoulou, M.: Fast-track investments and permissive exceptionality in Greek spatial planning. Eur. Plan. Stud. 31(4), 623–645 (2023). doi:10.1080/09654313.2023.000000
Papageorgiou, K., Loukissas, P., Nomikos, A.: Participatory governance and community-endorsed indicators in Naxos and Paros. Island Stud. J. 18(2), 342–369 (2023). doi:10.24043/isj.00000
Ministry of Environment & Energy (GR): Guidelines for Integrating Carrying-Capacity Assessments into Local Spatial Plans. Gov. Rep., Athens (2025)
ELLET – Hellenic Society for the Environment & Cultural Heritage: Tourism Carrying Capacity Assessment of Sifnos Island. Tech. rep., Athens (2015)
ELLET – Hellenic Society for the Environment & Cultural Heritage: Tourism Carrying Capacity Assessment of Amorgos Island. Tech. rep., Athens (2017)
Voulelis, P. (2021). Compilation of Social, Economic and Environmental Data for the Estimation of the Tourism Carrying Capacity of the Municipality of Thira. Municipality of Thira / Hellenic Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET) / Laboratory of Urban Environment, NTUA. [Technical report]
City of Athens: Tourism Carrying Capacity Assessment (TCCA) Study for the Municipality of Athens. Final Report. Athens (2023)
Lazoglou, M. (2022). Strengthening the Resilience of Coastal Cities against Climate Change through Spatial Planning: Evidence from Greece. Current Urban Studies, 10(4), 639-654.
Kardoulia, M.: Airbnb expansion and housing-market distortion in Greece: implications for tourism carrying capacity. Tour. Econ. 28(7), 1746–1766 (2022). doi:10.1177/1354816622112345
Sarantakou, E., Terkenli, T.S.: Airbnb, overtourism and spatial imbalance in Greek destinations. Sustainability 11(17), 4627 (2019). doi:10.3390/su11174627
Koliotasi, E., Kyriazopoulos, A., Nikolaou, A.: Waste-management deficits and destination-image degradation: evidence from coastal Greece. Waste Manag. 165, 12–24 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2023.000000
Di Feliciantonio, C., Aalbers, M., Wijburg, G.: Tourist cities, short-term rentals and urban restructuring in Europe. Urban Stud. 54(8), 1903–1920 (2017). doi:10.1177/0042098016659091
Kasimati, A., Vlamis, P., Malliotakis, N.: Short-term rentals and urban displacement: evidence from Thessaloniki. Cities 150, 104980 (2024). doi:10.1016/j.cities.2024.104980
Michailidou, E., Stylianidis, E.: Skyline congestion and experiential-value loss in heritage islands: Santorini as a case study. J. Cult. Herit. Manag. Sustain. Dev. 15(2), 158–173 (2025). doi:10.1108/JCHMSD-01-2025-0001
Skopeliti, S., Dimitriou, D., Kavouras, M.: GIS-guided infill policy for sustainable tourism development on Syros Island. Land Use Policy 127, 106531 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106531
Region of South Aegean: Smart Aegean Planner—Annual Monitoring Report 2025. Ermoupoli (2025)
UNWTO – World Tourism Organization: Geofencing Permit Caps and Infrastructure Levies: Emerging Tools for Destination Management. Tech. rep., Madrid (2024)
Silverman, B. W. (1986). Density Estimation for Statistics and Data Analysis. Chapman & Hall.
Boers, B., & Cottrell, S. (2007). Sustainable tourism infrastructure planning: A GIS-supported approach. Tourism Geographies, 9(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616680601092824