Transport systems are capable of contributing to the economic robustness of a geographic area and the well-being of its inhabitants via the supply of the necessary assets for the mobility of people and goods. However, transport projects have the capacity to produce several negative externalities such as water pollution, air pollution, barrier effects, noise, and ecological impact, which affect the quality of people’s life. Considering these facts, the main purpose of this study is to indicate methodologically how the negative externalities of transport are interlinked, so that to promote sustainable mobility development. This paper reveals via the method of structural analysis, the interrelations between the negative externalities of transport, firstly to organize them hierarchically and secondly to evaluate the potential of sustainable mobility strategies concerning the co-benefits generated by their implementation for society. The results show that the negative externalities of transport are not isolated phenomena; on the contrary, they are interlinked and can be organised hierarchically according to the relationships between them so that certain public policies can be prioritized and the negative impacts of transport can be tackled more effectively. The most critical negative externalities are the invasion of public space for the construction of more roads, along with road accidents, congestion, and local air pollution. On the other hand, the most important group of strategies for sustainable mobility are the ones oriented to urban design, and more specifically to transit-oriented development.
Through the last decades, the development of technology was rapid. As a result, changes in a series of sectors of human life have been observed. One of these sectors is spatial planning, where new applications contribute towards its skillful application. Especially, in the sector of public participation in urban planning procedure, an urge of motivation of the public is noted in order to participate as an active participant who collects data, creates maps, suggests ideas and, finally, accepts or not a design proposal.
In that context, this research paper investigates how new technologies contribute in the promotion of community engagement in urban planning. In a parallel manner, this paper attempts to locate the effects that are expected to have technologically advanced applications in participant planning in the local community. In order to examine the above issues, an international literature review occurs and institutional guidelines towards this sector are investigated, in European level. Furthermore, the investigation of case studies is utilized in order to establish a guide of line practices and locate the effects that presented similar policies in societies that implemented them. All the above contribute to an ex-ante evaluation of the application of such practices in Greece, in order to find out how much usefulness will their integration provide to the procedures of spatial planning of the country.
Cycling tourism is an environmentally friendly way to explore a destination. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more popular worldwide, since it permits an in-depth communication both with nature and people. In this context, the aim of this paper is to explore, in detail, mainly the environmental motivators of cycling tourists, and their significance, in Greece, by using qualitative social research (in-depth interviews and focus groups) and participative analytical hierarchical process. The results show that regarding physical environment, the element which attracts cycle tourists the most is the variety of scenic views along their route. Existence of lakes, rivers and beaches were also valued. On the contrary, “Biodiversity” and “Untouched natural landscapes” were ranked low as a description of the quality of the natural environment. However, the rise of cycling tourism depends considerably on the appropriate infrastructure, namely roads with low slopes, appropriate quality of surfaces and cycling infrastructure. Planners, policy-makers, and competent authorities should give emphasis on the critical factors in order to enhance cycling tourism, thus resulting in positive multiplying effects such as environmental protection and economic growth.
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