Exploring a South-European eco-neighbourhood model: planning forms, constraints of implementation and emerging resilience practices

The paper seeks to overview perspectives of eco-neighbourhoods in Southern Europe. Emphasis is given to spatial planning system related issues as well as organisational, investment, financial and governance specificities in countries that belong to Southern Europe, thus governed by 'urbanism tradition' (ESPON, 2005). In Northern European eco-neighbourhoods, one can conclude on certain typologies and a North European model (Souami, 2007). The paper aims at exploring a South European 'model', presenting some already existing methodological tools and experiences from realised projects. The key findings of the paper are both lessons learned from Northern European examples of eco-neighbourhoods and trends in France, Italy and Greece. In Greece, developments vary from public, for worker's housing purposes to private ones mainly for marketing purposes. The paper concludes that implementation of an eco-district mostly depends on the degree of strategic spatial planning tradition and culture, community engagement, catalytic investments and the possibility of public-private partnerships.