Employer: Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change

Development Spatial Planning

EVALUATION, REVISION & SPECIALIZATION OF THE REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR SPATIAL PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION OF EPIRUS

The regional framework for spatial planning of the Epirus Region replaces and revises its predecessor and presents proposals that aim to: • Update of the international role of the region in relation with Albania and the sea axis of Adriatic – Ionian (yachting, logistics, energy paths etc.) based on an outward-looking model of development • A more efficient use of the comparative advantages of the Region in order to improve the social and economic parameters. • Create a strong and distinctive tourism identity and promote the connection with the Ionian island tourist network (eco-tourism, cultural tourism etc.) • Update of the cities system structure of the Region and the network of the depended settlements forming functional spatial areas. • Upgrade the role of the capital of the Region (Ioannina), on inter-regional and cross-border level (education, health, logistics) • Protect, promote and exploit the natural and cultural environment and enhance the quality of natural and cultural resources

  • Enhance Epirus' brand name and geopolitical location based on an outward-looking development model.
  • Efficiently manage the comparative advantages of the Region by taking into account the improvement of socio-economic
    parameters.
  • Support the demographic potential, unemployment mitigation in order to meet the national standards and limit the socio-economic gap between urban and rural areas.
  • Upgrade the tertiary sector of the economy by
    :

    • a) Shaping a strong & recognizable tourism identity
    • b) Supporting the research work of the Ioannina University,
    • c) Upgrading and promoting the quality of health services in the wider region (North Ionian, South Albania).
  • Enforce the role of the Region's urban centres and especially Ioannina by completing the
    planned and under construction parts of the road network which combined with the administration restructuring will revise the interregional and international role of the urban centres of Epirus.
  • Protecting, managing and promoting the natural and cultural resources, mitigating pollution and improving the quality of the above resources.
  • Providing spatial planning and development directions to the thematically specialized planning of the Region.