The importance of informal planning in Greece

The long lasting unsolved spatial problems and the lack of a sustainable integrated transport system in Greece indicate the insufficiency of the formal planning procedures. For such complex problems, the complementary use of informal processes, like the test planning process, is especially useful. In 2015, at the initiative of ETH Zurich, three European universities (ETH Zurich, University of Patras, and National Technical University of Athens) collaborated on the pilot implementation of the test planning process revolving around the issue of the railway and spatial development in Patras, the third largest city on the Peloponnese. Such an attempt to use informal planning methods in the rather conventional milieu of Patras was directed towards creating a new planning culture in Greece. Furthermore, such a European project that enhances international cooperation and the transfer of know-how finally leads to the strengthening of European cohesion, a vital goal of any international project.