Lena Athanasiadou | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (original) (raw)

Papers by Lena Athanasiadou

A city is a constructed landscape which epitomizes human intelligence and creativity, depicts soc... more A city is a constructed landscape which epitomizes human intelligence and creativity, depicts social, cultural and economic development and still remains the most favorable and important habitat for the human species. Cities continue to grow, yet covering only about 3% of the earth’s surface, causing major negative impacts to the environment such as the natural resources depletion, carbon emissions, pollution of ground water, etc. A resilient city is a flexible, adaptable to change organism which comes in a form of equilibrium to meet quality criteria of living. Change is always reflected in form. The hypothesis of this study is whether monitoring of spatio-temporal landscape change is an important method in examining landscape resilience. It focuses mainly on the notions of transformation, time and process using the principles of landscape ecology, in order to capture the way a landscape may respond to environmental, social and economic change. A relative research presented hereby was conducted between 2010 and 2012 and included the study of the spatio-temporal change in the suburban landscape east of the city of Thessaloniki, an area of approximately 10 K hectares. Results demonstrated change in LULC patterns of thirteen (13) different land use/cover types and the transformation of a once arable agricultural landscape into a suburban landscape with mixed residential and agricultural uses. Socio-economic and ecological factors influenced this drastic change in structure and function of the landscape in study. The study concludes that monitoring spatio-temporal landscape change contributes in examining the potentially of a landscape towards resilience.

Proceedings, 2018

Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, ... more Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, procedures of constructing anthropogenic habitats often undermine the value of natural landscape elements such as urban streams. Thessaloniki’s backbone comprises of urban streams that run from the suburban forest of ‘Seih-Sou’ to the Thermaikos Gulf acting as corridors of the natural urban matrix. Policies of the past have dealt with urban streams through extensive engineering drainage methods, eliminating the risk of flooding, yet resulting in rapid stormwater runoff, water quality problems, disturbed riparian ecosystems, leading to the urban stream syndrome. Furthermore, they have failed to address urban streams as an inseparable part of the landscape and thus to incorporate them in people’s mental map and everyday activities. The paper discusses the case of ‘Polygnotou stream’ which forms the beginning of the large scale engineered peripheral moat of Thessaloniki, constructed in the ...

11ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Αρχιτεκτόνων. Επάγγελμα Αρχιτέκτων.ΣΑΔΑΣ-ΠΕΑ, 2011

Sustainability

United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Green Deal and the new Common Ag... more United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Green Deal and the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are legislative proposals counting on rural and agricultural landscapes to assist climate change mitigation, ecosystem services and preservation of heritage. Agricultural landscapes take up more than 10% of the earth’s land surface (1.5 billion ha), presenting a continuous field of interaction between man and nature, shaping the earth’s epidermis since antiquity. The Mediterranean basin is one of the most evident places on earth exhibiting this relationship, between the anthropogenic and the natural, hosting lands of enormous ecological, economic and cultural value. With Greece’s economy being based largely on agriculture in the past, traditional Greek agricultural landscapes present great socio-cultural importance; those landscapes, managed appropriately, could dynamically help combat climate issues, continue to provide services of high value and also present loc...

The Value and Services of Urban Stream Polygnotou, Thessaloniki, 2018

Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, ... more Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, procedures of constructing anthropogenic habitats often undermine the value of natural landscape elements such as urban streams. Thessaloniki's backbone comprises of urban streams that run from the suburban forest of 'Seih-Sou' to the Thermaikos Gulf acting as corridors of the natural urban matrix. Policies of the past have dealt with urban streams through extensive engineering drainage methods, eliminating the risk of flooding, yet resulting in rapid stormwater runoff, water quality problems, disturbed riparian ecosystems, leading to the urban stream syndrome. Furthermore, they have failed to address urban streams as an inseparable part of the landscape and thus to incorporate them in people's mental map and everyday activities. The paper discusses the case of 'Polygnotou stream' which forms the beginning of the large scale engineered peripheral moat of Thessaloniki, constructed in the 60's, and playing the role of the water recipient for six urban streams in total. It falls unknown to the majority of people living in the area, yet its services as an ecosystem ought to be acknowledged, helping inform decision makers of its socio-ecologic, perceptual and economic value. In addition, Polygnotou stream, adjacent streams and the peripheral moat overall, could be considered as a touristic product of great importance.

Heritage, 2019

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Florence Charter 1981 on Historic Garde... more The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Florence Charter 1981 on Historic Gardens sets the first guidelines for the definition of a historic garden, in which sites such as large parks, whether formal or landscape, are included. Since then, there is a continuous effort worldwide on issues of historic garden acknowledgement, conservation, restoration and management. Countries with garden and park tradition, such as the U.K., USA, France and others, have several sites registered and protected. Furthermore, historic garden and park associations exist in Italy, Spain and Portugal, among other nations. In Greece, there is no specific official policy or association regarding historic parks, gardens or landscapes. Greek law includes historic gardens and parks within the spectrum of works of art, places of outstanding natural beauty and historic places/lands for partial or absolute protection, and, thus, attempts in identifying historic landscapes fall generally in other categories, but law specified for historic gardens. However, in both the Greek ratification of the European Landscape Convention and the European Biodiversity directives, there are aspects one could interpret as very useful for the acknowledgement and policy-making on historic gardens and parks. In this paper, an overview on historic gardens and parks abroad and in Greece is attempted, along with aspects of acknowledgement, protection, conservation, restoration and management. Finally, a first attempt on methodological outlines for the acknowledgement and conservation of historic gardens and parks in Greece is presented.

Athanasiadou E.A. and Gkrimpa E., 2015. The landscape of Torino & Thessaloniki: a comparative spa... more Athanasiadou E.A. and Gkrimpa E., 2015. The landscape of Torino & Thessaloniki: a comparative spatio-temporal study. IN: Francesco Domenico Moccia and Marichela Sepe (eds). (2015). Green and Blue Infrastructures, Virtual, Cultural and Social Networks. Proceedings of the IX INU (Italian National Institute of Urban Planning) Study Day, Department of Architecture University of Naples, Naples, December, 18-19, 2015, Special Issue, Urbanistica Informazion, Sessione Paesaggio, p.13-23 On line: http://www.urbanisticainformazioni.it/-263-special-issue-.html

Nowadays, humans evolve more in a cultural than a biological manner and this is being reflected spatially on the landscape. Landscapes are dynamic entities that exist in a spatio-temporal frame. Living in cities and metropolitan regions has become the dominant human life form, many more people nowadays live in urbanized clusters. The urban landscape is subject to continuous transformations· changing social structures, cultural values and ecological processes are depicted on the image of physical form, that is land use change expressed in spatial patterns. Although landscape planning may not be a rigid theory itself, or a method, yet it is a systematic/methodological approach in identifying and understanding landscapes, aiding the fact that man should aim to monitor their evolutionary stages and take action by aiming at the goals of sustainability. Moreover, identifying present landscapes, should help in planning and designing better new ones. To know a
landscape is essential if one is to take planning decisions. Spatio-temporal studies of landscapes and more specifically, comparative spatio-temporal studies of different landscapes, aids landscape ecologists and landscape architects at improving monitoring, evaluating and planning techniques.
A comparative spatio-temporal study of Torino and Thessaloniki, dating from the creation of the two cities until nowadays, by juxtaposition of city plans, photographs, aerial orthophotographs, historical information etc. reveals similarities and differences, in two landscapes of high spatio-temporal heterogeneity, acting as intermediate receptors of socio-economical and ecological changes. Overall, it leads to useful conclusions on city-water element relationships, urban sprawl patterns, opportunities for planning for green and many more.

Landscapes are complex entities which are created, shaped and changed by natural and human forces... more Landscapes are complex entities which are created, shaped and changed by natural and human forces, decisions and interactions. Similar to organisms, landscapes exhibit three fundamental characteristics • structure, function and change, whose methodological approach is studied by landscape ecologists. Within the concept of landscape and polars such as human-natural, pragmatic-cognitive, objective-subjective etc., lies the capacity of simultaneity. The suburban landscape is the space where this simultaneity best demonstrates itself. Furthermore, since 'resilience' is defined as 'the ability of a system to respond or adapt to change, by taking a new form based on a previous state of its evolution', it shares common ground with landscape ecology. Its study of pattern change in a temporal manner manifests a way of detecting, understanding and interpreting resilience. and the challenges it possesses. in the context of the generalized term of urban and regional development. The paper elaborates on the pattern of change of a suburban area of the city of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece during the years 1945 and 2007, using GIS systems and landscape ecology principles. It presents change in LULC patterns with the aid of classifying the landscape under thirteen (13) different land use/cover types for a 10,000 hectare suburban landscape. Furthermore, it attempts to define the socioeconomic factors that influence this drastic change in structure and function. Results demonstrate the transformation of an arable agricultural landscape into a suburban landscape with mixed residential and agricultural uses Key Words: landscape, suburban landscape, landscape ecology, temporality, spatio-temporal change ''It is important to recognize the realm of life's essential attribute: change that is reflected in form. This exhibits, not simple multiplication, but relative growth of the parts, better described as rhythm than as mere modular increase''. Ian McHarg, Design with Nature. Ch. 'Process and Form', p. 163

This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of Landscape Arch... more This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of Landscape Architecture. More specifically it examines the possibilities and potential of a synergy between different scientific fields, ecology or design orientated, towards the protection, enhancement and upgrading of the environment in general.
It is in the outcome of strong influence and interconnection between landscape architecture and environmental sciences such as Landscape Ecology, or in the evolution of ecological design, where new methods and approaches within landscape planning and design develop. They seem to combine knowledge and experience of the above fields, and bring forward the notions of ecoregion, ecosystem, territory, temporality etc., as well as the need of inventing new design tools and methods, based on programming and strategic design.
Their multi-layered advantages towards sustainability and especially towards environmental protection are discussed on a theoretical basis, as well as in practice through international implemented projects.
It is suggested that environmental protection could be attained through landscape architecture projects within the context of an interdisciplinary and systemic approach, which seems capable of confronting the high degree of complexity of any landscape project, either rural or urban.

Keywords: Landscape architecture, landscape ecology, protection, ecosystem, planning strategy, time.

This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of landscape arch... more This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of landscape architecture. More specifically it examines the possibilities and potential of a synergy between different scientific fields, ecology or design oriented, towards the protection, enhancement and upgrading of the environment in general.
It is in the outcome of strong influence and interconnection between landscape architecture and environmental sciences such as landscape ecology, or in the evolution of ecological design, where new methods and approaches within landscape planning and design develop. They seem to combine knowledge and experience of the above fields, and bring forward the notions of ecosystem, process, time, ecoregion, territory etc., as well as the need of inventing new design tools and methods, based on programming and strategic design.
Their multi-layered advantages towards sustainability and especially towards environmental protection are discussed on a theoretical basis, as well as in practice through international implemented projects.
It is suggested that environmental protection could be attained through landscape architecture projects within the context of an interdisciplinary and systemic approach, which seems capable of confronting the high degree of complexity of any landscape project, either rural or urban.

Over the last decades, in the wake of de-industrialization, rapid urbanization and sprawling, urb... more Over the last decades, in the wake of de-industrialization, rapid urbanization and sprawling, urban environment has gone through serious states of physical and operational decay. During this structural upheaval, a dense tangle of buildings, paved surfaces, roadways, matrix and grids, have cleaved cities into countless fragments where ecological assets (water, soil, air, energy) have less and less living space available for providing services.
Water is one of the most essential elements of shaping this planet and most cities have evolved around a water element of some type, yet, despite the pragmatic 'osmotic' relationship between cities and their water elements, the full spectrum of the water cycle is barely taken into consideration in planning and design.
Changes occurring in the water cycle are evident nowadays, and it is very likely, indeed, that unsuitable human actions have over-stressed natural changes also enhancing risks and vulnerability of urban dwellings to weather extreme events. The issue of dealing with variability and unpredictability of living processes requires a renewed landscape approach to be implemented by making urban planning and design deeper geo-strategically oriented. It makes sense that the future and the health of cities will depend most on how urban dynamics will interact with green/water rules by taking into account all their gradation of surfaces, uses and meanings. That is exactly what some pioneers (i.e. Dutch polders culture) understood and developed by step-to-step adaptation over centuries. Water management theories and practices, being demonstrated in this paper, i.e. water sensitive urban design, aid and enhance the important role of water and landscapes of water in the resilient function of cities and towns.
Keywords: water management, WSUD (water sensitive urban design), city planning, landscape, landscape design

Η Αρχιτεκτονική Τοπίου ορίζεται ως η επιστήμη και η τέχνη η οποία, αξιολογώντας και αναλύοντας οι... more Η Αρχιτεκτονική Τοπίου ορίζεται ως η επιστήμη και η τέχνη η οποία, αξιολογώντας και αναλύοντας οικολογικούς, κοινωνικούς και πολιτισμικούς παράγοντες, ασχολείται με την προγραμματισμένη και ορθολογική σχεδίαση εξωτερικών χώρων κάθε μεγέθους και συνδυάζει ταυτόχρονα τη λειτουργικότητα με την αισθητική, για την καλύτερη χρησιμοποίηση τους από τον άνθρωπο. H Aρχιτεκτονική τοπίου αποτελεί μια πολυδιάστατη θεωρητική και εφαρμοσμένη τέχνη και επιστήμη καθώς εκτείνεται σε πολλά επιστημονικά πεδία και καλύπτει ένα ευρύ φάσμα εφαρμογών.

In this paper, an attempt in finding alternative to lawn solutions for the Mediterranean region a... more In this paper, an attempt in finding alternative to lawn solutions for the Mediterranean region and semi-arid areas with water deficit is made. Persistence to lawn and its intensive cultivation can be linked with probable environmental problems, but also with the identity and special biodiversity of the Mediterranean and Greek region. Thus, the lawn issue is connected with the broader topic of sustainable landscape design and management and also search of the genius loci, for ecologically sound, aesthetically pleasing and functional places.
An attempt in finding solutions for land cover that fit the characteristics of Mediterranean areas is made through bibliographical research on the history of vernacular and modern landscape architecture in Greece and other Mediterranean countries and open field research. In open field, the ability of the grass Dichantium ischaemum in producing leaves after cut, under severe water stress is tested. The choice of a C4 plant with exceptional ability in surviving under water stress conditions is linked to its probable ability in forming a sustainable lawn. Results confirm the hypothesis in this first attempt but further research is recommended. Furthermore, 5 more alternatives to lawn are examined, and conclusions are made.

Περίληψη Οι αστικοί υπαίθριοι χώροι αποτελούν, επιστημονικώς αποδεκτό, δείκτη αειφορίας για την ... more Περίληψη
Οι αστικοί υπαίθριοι χώροι αποτελούν, επιστημονικώς αποδεκτό, δείκτη αειφορίας για την πόλη. Η οικολογική και κοινωνική αξία τους για το αστικό τοπίο είναι ανεκτίμητη. Όσο μεγαλύτερος είναι ένας αστικός πράσινος υπαίθριος χώρος τόσο μεγαλύτερα είναι τα πλεονεκτήματά του από οικολογικής πλευράς, ενώ όσο μεγαλύτερος και ταυτόχρονα ενιαίος είναι ένας χώρος, τόσο περισσότερη αξία έχει ως οικολογικό ενδιαίτημα. Από κοινωνικής πλευράς, τα οφέλη ενός τέτοιου χώρου είναι ποικίλα, και προέρχονται από ατομικές ή ομαδικές, παθητικές ή ενεργητικές δραστηριότητες αναψυχής. Κάθε κομμάτι ‘ελεύθερης’ γης στην πόλη σηματοδοτεί πλήθος προτεινόμενων χρήσεων. Η απόδοση των πρώην στρατοπέδων στο κοινό με τη μορφή μητροπολιτικών πάρκων αποτελεί την καταλληλότερη πρόταση. Στην εργασία αυτή παρουσιάζονται δύο(2) προτάσεις ανάπλασης πρώην στρατοπέδων σε αστικά μητροπολιτικά πάρκα: το πρώην στρατόπεδο Παύλου Μελά στη Θεσσαλονίκη και το πρώην στρατόπεδο Παπαλουκά (Πυροβολικά Σερρών) στις Σέρρες. Για το σκοπό αυτό έγινε μια πλήρη ανάλυση της υφιστάμενης κατάστασης της περιοχής μελέτης με βάση τα ιστορικά και γενικής φύσεως κοινωνικο-οικονομικά χαρακτηριστικά, και τα οικολογικά δεδομένα κ.α. Από την επεξεργασία των παραπάνω στοιχείων και από τον προτεινόμενο σχεδιασμό (με σχέδια γενικής οργάνωσης σε διαφορετικές κλίμακες, τομές, κατασκευαστικές λεπτομέρειες και φωτορεαλιστικά σκίτσα), αναδεικνύονται ομοιότητες και διαφορές, δυνατά και αδύνατα σημεία, των δύο διαφορετικών, ιστορικά και τοπολογικά, χώρων, που όμως τόσα κοινά έχουν ως προς το κοινωνικο-οικολογικό τους περιεχόμενο και τους τρόπους βελτίωσης της ζωής του αστικού πληθυσμού.

A city is a constructed landscape which epitomizes human intelligence and creativity, depicts soc... more A city is a constructed landscape which epitomizes human intelligence and creativity, depicts social, cultural and economic development and still remains the most favorable and important habitat for the human species. Cities continue to grow, yet covering only about 3% of the earth’s surface, causing major negative impacts to the environment such as the natural resources depletion, carbon emissions, pollution of ground water, etc. A resilient city is a flexible, adaptable to change organism which comes in a form of equilibrium to meet quality criteria of living. Change is always reflected in form. The hypothesis of this study is whether monitoring of spatio-temporal landscape change is an important method in examining landscape resilience. It focuses mainly on the notions of transformation, time and process using the principles of landscape ecology, in order to capture the way a landscape may respond to environmental, social and economic change. A relative research presented hereby was conducted between 2010 and 2012 and included the study of the spatio-temporal change in the suburban landscape east of the city of Thessaloniki, an area of approximately 10 K hectares. Results demonstrated change in LULC patterns of thirteen (13) different land use/cover types and the transformation of a once arable agricultural landscape into a suburban landscape with mixed residential and agricultural uses. Socio-economic and ecological factors influenced this drastic change in structure and function of the landscape in study. The study concludes that monitoring spatio-temporal landscape change contributes in examining the potentially of a landscape towards resilience.

Proceedings, 2018

Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, ... more Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, procedures of constructing anthropogenic habitats often undermine the value of natural landscape elements such as urban streams. Thessaloniki’s backbone comprises of urban streams that run from the suburban forest of ‘Seih-Sou’ to the Thermaikos Gulf acting as corridors of the natural urban matrix. Policies of the past have dealt with urban streams through extensive engineering drainage methods, eliminating the risk of flooding, yet resulting in rapid stormwater runoff, water quality problems, disturbed riparian ecosystems, leading to the urban stream syndrome. Furthermore, they have failed to address urban streams as an inseparable part of the landscape and thus to incorporate them in people’s mental map and everyday activities. The paper discusses the case of ‘Polygnotou stream’ which forms the beginning of the large scale engineered peripheral moat of Thessaloniki, constructed in the ...

11ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Αρχιτεκτόνων. Επάγγελμα Αρχιτέκτων.ΣΑΔΑΣ-ΠΕΑ, 2011

Sustainability

United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Green Deal and the new Common Ag... more United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Green Deal and the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are legislative proposals counting on rural and agricultural landscapes to assist climate change mitigation, ecosystem services and preservation of heritage. Agricultural landscapes take up more than 10% of the earth’s land surface (1.5 billion ha), presenting a continuous field of interaction between man and nature, shaping the earth’s epidermis since antiquity. The Mediterranean basin is one of the most evident places on earth exhibiting this relationship, between the anthropogenic and the natural, hosting lands of enormous ecological, economic and cultural value. With Greece’s economy being based largely on agriculture in the past, traditional Greek agricultural landscapes present great socio-cultural importance; those landscapes, managed appropriately, could dynamically help combat climate issues, continue to provide services of high value and also present loc...

The Value and Services of Urban Stream Polygnotou, Thessaloniki, 2018

Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, ... more Grey, blue and green infrastructure supports socio-ecological processes the city undergoes. Yet, procedures of constructing anthropogenic habitats often undermine the value of natural landscape elements such as urban streams. Thessaloniki's backbone comprises of urban streams that run from the suburban forest of 'Seih-Sou' to the Thermaikos Gulf acting as corridors of the natural urban matrix. Policies of the past have dealt with urban streams through extensive engineering drainage methods, eliminating the risk of flooding, yet resulting in rapid stormwater runoff, water quality problems, disturbed riparian ecosystems, leading to the urban stream syndrome. Furthermore, they have failed to address urban streams as an inseparable part of the landscape and thus to incorporate them in people's mental map and everyday activities. The paper discusses the case of 'Polygnotou stream' which forms the beginning of the large scale engineered peripheral moat of Thessaloniki, constructed in the 60's, and playing the role of the water recipient for six urban streams in total. It falls unknown to the majority of people living in the area, yet its services as an ecosystem ought to be acknowledged, helping inform decision makers of its socio-ecologic, perceptual and economic value. In addition, Polygnotou stream, adjacent streams and the peripheral moat overall, could be considered as a touristic product of great importance.

Heritage, 2019

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Florence Charter 1981 on Historic Garde... more The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Florence Charter 1981 on Historic Gardens sets the first guidelines for the definition of a historic garden, in which sites such as large parks, whether formal or landscape, are included. Since then, there is a continuous effort worldwide on issues of historic garden acknowledgement, conservation, restoration and management. Countries with garden and park tradition, such as the U.K., USA, France and others, have several sites registered and protected. Furthermore, historic garden and park associations exist in Italy, Spain and Portugal, among other nations. In Greece, there is no specific official policy or association regarding historic parks, gardens or landscapes. Greek law includes historic gardens and parks within the spectrum of works of art, places of outstanding natural beauty and historic places/lands for partial or absolute protection, and, thus, attempts in identifying historic landscapes fall generally in other categories, but law specified for historic gardens. However, in both the Greek ratification of the European Landscape Convention and the European Biodiversity directives, there are aspects one could interpret as very useful for the acknowledgement and policy-making on historic gardens and parks. In this paper, an overview on historic gardens and parks abroad and in Greece is attempted, along with aspects of acknowledgement, protection, conservation, restoration and management. Finally, a first attempt on methodological outlines for the acknowledgement and conservation of historic gardens and parks in Greece is presented.

Athanasiadou E.A. and Gkrimpa E., 2015. The landscape of Torino & Thessaloniki: a comparative spa... more Athanasiadou E.A. and Gkrimpa E., 2015. The landscape of Torino & Thessaloniki: a comparative spatio-temporal study. IN: Francesco Domenico Moccia and Marichela Sepe (eds). (2015). Green and Blue Infrastructures, Virtual, Cultural and Social Networks. Proceedings of the IX INU (Italian National Institute of Urban Planning) Study Day, Department of Architecture University of Naples, Naples, December, 18-19, 2015, Special Issue, Urbanistica Informazion, Sessione Paesaggio, p.13-23 On line: http://www.urbanisticainformazioni.it/-263-special-issue-.html

Nowadays, humans evolve more in a cultural than a biological manner and this is being reflected spatially on the landscape. Landscapes are dynamic entities that exist in a spatio-temporal frame. Living in cities and metropolitan regions has become the dominant human life form, many more people nowadays live in urbanized clusters. The urban landscape is subject to continuous transformations· changing social structures, cultural values and ecological processes are depicted on the image of physical form, that is land use change expressed in spatial patterns. Although landscape planning may not be a rigid theory itself, or a method, yet it is a systematic/methodological approach in identifying and understanding landscapes, aiding the fact that man should aim to monitor their evolutionary stages and take action by aiming at the goals of sustainability. Moreover, identifying present landscapes, should help in planning and designing better new ones. To know a
landscape is essential if one is to take planning decisions. Spatio-temporal studies of landscapes and more specifically, comparative spatio-temporal studies of different landscapes, aids landscape ecologists and landscape architects at improving monitoring, evaluating and planning techniques.
A comparative spatio-temporal study of Torino and Thessaloniki, dating from the creation of the two cities until nowadays, by juxtaposition of city plans, photographs, aerial orthophotographs, historical information etc. reveals similarities and differences, in two landscapes of high spatio-temporal heterogeneity, acting as intermediate receptors of socio-economical and ecological changes. Overall, it leads to useful conclusions on city-water element relationships, urban sprawl patterns, opportunities for planning for green and many more.

Landscapes are complex entities which are created, shaped and changed by natural and human forces... more Landscapes are complex entities which are created, shaped and changed by natural and human forces, decisions and interactions. Similar to organisms, landscapes exhibit three fundamental characteristics • structure, function and change, whose methodological approach is studied by landscape ecologists. Within the concept of landscape and polars such as human-natural, pragmatic-cognitive, objective-subjective etc., lies the capacity of simultaneity. The suburban landscape is the space where this simultaneity best demonstrates itself. Furthermore, since 'resilience' is defined as 'the ability of a system to respond or adapt to change, by taking a new form based on a previous state of its evolution', it shares common ground with landscape ecology. Its study of pattern change in a temporal manner manifests a way of detecting, understanding and interpreting resilience. and the challenges it possesses. in the context of the generalized term of urban and regional development. The paper elaborates on the pattern of change of a suburban area of the city of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece during the years 1945 and 2007, using GIS systems and landscape ecology principles. It presents change in LULC patterns with the aid of classifying the landscape under thirteen (13) different land use/cover types for a 10,000 hectare suburban landscape. Furthermore, it attempts to define the socioeconomic factors that influence this drastic change in structure and function. Results demonstrate the transformation of an arable agricultural landscape into a suburban landscape with mixed residential and agricultural uses Key Words: landscape, suburban landscape, landscape ecology, temporality, spatio-temporal change ''It is important to recognize the realm of life's essential attribute: change that is reflected in form. This exhibits, not simple multiplication, but relative growth of the parts, better described as rhythm than as mere modular increase''. Ian McHarg, Design with Nature. Ch. 'Process and Form', p. 163

This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of Landscape Arch... more This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of Landscape Architecture. More specifically it examines the possibilities and potential of a synergy between different scientific fields, ecology or design orientated, towards the protection, enhancement and upgrading of the environment in general.
It is in the outcome of strong influence and interconnection between landscape architecture and environmental sciences such as Landscape Ecology, or in the evolution of ecological design, where new methods and approaches within landscape planning and design develop. They seem to combine knowledge and experience of the above fields, and bring forward the notions of ecoregion, ecosystem, territory, temporality etc., as well as the need of inventing new design tools and methods, based on programming and strategic design.
Their multi-layered advantages towards sustainability and especially towards environmental protection are discussed on a theoretical basis, as well as in practice through international implemented projects.
It is suggested that environmental protection could be attained through landscape architecture projects within the context of an interdisciplinary and systemic approach, which seems capable of confronting the high degree of complexity of any landscape project, either rural or urban.

Keywords: Landscape architecture, landscape ecology, protection, ecosystem, planning strategy, time.

This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of landscape arch... more This paper deals with issues of environmental protection through the discipline of landscape architecture. More specifically it examines the possibilities and potential of a synergy between different scientific fields, ecology or design oriented, towards the protection, enhancement and upgrading of the environment in general.
It is in the outcome of strong influence and interconnection between landscape architecture and environmental sciences such as landscape ecology, or in the evolution of ecological design, where new methods and approaches within landscape planning and design develop. They seem to combine knowledge and experience of the above fields, and bring forward the notions of ecosystem, process, time, ecoregion, territory etc., as well as the need of inventing new design tools and methods, based on programming and strategic design.
Their multi-layered advantages towards sustainability and especially towards environmental protection are discussed on a theoretical basis, as well as in practice through international implemented projects.
It is suggested that environmental protection could be attained through landscape architecture projects within the context of an interdisciplinary and systemic approach, which seems capable of confronting the high degree of complexity of any landscape project, either rural or urban.

Over the last decades, in the wake of de-industrialization, rapid urbanization and sprawling, urb... more Over the last decades, in the wake of de-industrialization, rapid urbanization and sprawling, urban environment has gone through serious states of physical and operational decay. During this structural upheaval, a dense tangle of buildings, paved surfaces, roadways, matrix and grids, have cleaved cities into countless fragments where ecological assets (water, soil, air, energy) have less and less living space available for providing services.
Water is one of the most essential elements of shaping this planet and most cities have evolved around a water element of some type, yet, despite the pragmatic 'osmotic' relationship between cities and their water elements, the full spectrum of the water cycle is barely taken into consideration in planning and design.
Changes occurring in the water cycle are evident nowadays, and it is very likely, indeed, that unsuitable human actions have over-stressed natural changes also enhancing risks and vulnerability of urban dwellings to weather extreme events. The issue of dealing with variability and unpredictability of living processes requires a renewed landscape approach to be implemented by making urban planning and design deeper geo-strategically oriented. It makes sense that the future and the health of cities will depend most on how urban dynamics will interact with green/water rules by taking into account all their gradation of surfaces, uses and meanings. That is exactly what some pioneers (i.e. Dutch polders culture) understood and developed by step-to-step adaptation over centuries. Water management theories and practices, being demonstrated in this paper, i.e. water sensitive urban design, aid and enhance the important role of water and landscapes of water in the resilient function of cities and towns.
Keywords: water management, WSUD (water sensitive urban design), city planning, landscape, landscape design

Η Αρχιτεκτονική Τοπίου ορίζεται ως η επιστήμη και η τέχνη η οποία, αξιολογώντας και αναλύοντας οι... more Η Αρχιτεκτονική Τοπίου ορίζεται ως η επιστήμη και η τέχνη η οποία, αξιολογώντας και αναλύοντας οικολογικούς, κοινωνικούς και πολιτισμικούς παράγοντες, ασχολείται με την προγραμματισμένη και ορθολογική σχεδίαση εξωτερικών χώρων κάθε μεγέθους και συνδυάζει ταυτόχρονα τη λειτουργικότητα με την αισθητική, για την καλύτερη χρησιμοποίηση τους από τον άνθρωπο. H Aρχιτεκτονική τοπίου αποτελεί μια πολυδιάστατη θεωρητική και εφαρμοσμένη τέχνη και επιστήμη καθώς εκτείνεται σε πολλά επιστημονικά πεδία και καλύπτει ένα ευρύ φάσμα εφαρμογών.

In this paper, an attempt in finding alternative to lawn solutions for the Mediterranean region a... more In this paper, an attempt in finding alternative to lawn solutions for the Mediterranean region and semi-arid areas with water deficit is made. Persistence to lawn and its intensive cultivation can be linked with probable environmental problems, but also with the identity and special biodiversity of the Mediterranean and Greek region. Thus, the lawn issue is connected with the broader topic of sustainable landscape design and management and also search of the genius loci, for ecologically sound, aesthetically pleasing and functional places.
An attempt in finding solutions for land cover that fit the characteristics of Mediterranean areas is made through bibliographical research on the history of vernacular and modern landscape architecture in Greece and other Mediterranean countries and open field research. In open field, the ability of the grass Dichantium ischaemum in producing leaves after cut, under severe water stress is tested. The choice of a C4 plant with exceptional ability in surviving under water stress conditions is linked to its probable ability in forming a sustainable lawn. Results confirm the hypothesis in this first attempt but further research is recommended. Furthermore, 5 more alternatives to lawn are examined, and conclusions are made.

Περίληψη Οι αστικοί υπαίθριοι χώροι αποτελούν, επιστημονικώς αποδεκτό, δείκτη αειφορίας για την ... more Περίληψη
Οι αστικοί υπαίθριοι χώροι αποτελούν, επιστημονικώς αποδεκτό, δείκτη αειφορίας για την πόλη. Η οικολογική και κοινωνική αξία τους για το αστικό τοπίο είναι ανεκτίμητη. Όσο μεγαλύτερος είναι ένας αστικός πράσινος υπαίθριος χώρος τόσο μεγαλύτερα είναι τα πλεονεκτήματά του από οικολογικής πλευράς, ενώ όσο μεγαλύτερος και ταυτόχρονα ενιαίος είναι ένας χώρος, τόσο περισσότερη αξία έχει ως οικολογικό ενδιαίτημα. Από κοινωνικής πλευράς, τα οφέλη ενός τέτοιου χώρου είναι ποικίλα, και προέρχονται από ατομικές ή ομαδικές, παθητικές ή ενεργητικές δραστηριότητες αναψυχής. Κάθε κομμάτι ‘ελεύθερης’ γης στην πόλη σηματοδοτεί πλήθος προτεινόμενων χρήσεων. Η απόδοση των πρώην στρατοπέδων στο κοινό με τη μορφή μητροπολιτικών πάρκων αποτελεί την καταλληλότερη πρόταση. Στην εργασία αυτή παρουσιάζονται δύο(2) προτάσεις ανάπλασης πρώην στρατοπέδων σε αστικά μητροπολιτικά πάρκα: το πρώην στρατόπεδο Παύλου Μελά στη Θεσσαλονίκη και το πρώην στρατόπεδο Παπαλουκά (Πυροβολικά Σερρών) στις Σέρρες. Για το σκοπό αυτό έγινε μια πλήρη ανάλυση της υφιστάμενης κατάστασης της περιοχής μελέτης με βάση τα ιστορικά και γενικής φύσεως κοινωνικο-οικονομικά χαρακτηριστικά, και τα οικολογικά δεδομένα κ.α. Από την επεξεργασία των παραπάνω στοιχείων και από τον προτεινόμενο σχεδιασμό (με σχέδια γενικής οργάνωσης σε διαφορετικές κλίμακες, τομές, κατασκευαστικές λεπτομέρειες και φωτορεαλιστικά σκίτσα), αναδεικνύονται ομοιότητες και διαφορές, δυνατά και αδύνατα σημεία, των δύο διαφορετικών, ιστορικά και τοπολογικά, χώρων, που όμως τόσα κοινά έχουν ως προς το κοινωνικο-οικολογικό τους περιεχόμενο και τους τρόπους βελτίωσης της ζωής του αστικού πληθυσμού.