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Strategic Planning for Public and Community Spaces (ESEKK)

Consortis provides specialized geospatial data collection and spatial analysis services for the development of Operational Plans for Securing Public and Community Spaces (ESEKK).

The ESEKK framework is an essential strategic planning tool for municipalities, aimed at protecting, enhancing, and effectively managing public and community-use spaces. By providing municipalities with a structured framework, ESEKK supports the organization, preservation, and utilization of urban public assets, ultimately contributing to an improved quality of life in Greek cities. 

Consortis combines deep knowledge of the institutional and legal framework with modern technical methodologies. Through the interpretation of urban planning and zoning plans and the use of advanced tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the company delivers comprehensive and reliable ESEKK studies. 

 

The Challenge

Municipalities face significant challenges in managing public and community spaces, including:

  • Lack of systematic documentation and recording of public spaces
  • Limited capacity to utilize available land and infrastructure
  • Restricted accessibility to public areas
  • Insufficient maintenance and management

These challenges contribute to the degradation of the urban environment, negatively affecting the daily lives and safety of residents and hindering the sustainable development of cities. 

To promote spatial planning and ensure the implementation of city plans, municipalities prepare Operational Plans within their administrative boundaries, recording all designated public and community spaces defined in urban plans.

Spaces for which expropriation has not yet been completed are prioritized according to criteria related to their importance for urban development and the time elapsed since the initial designation of the expropriation. 

The Solution

The ESEKK methodology focuses on the systematic collection, documentation, organization, and evaluation of spatial data in order to prioritize public and community spaces that risk losing their designated status due to the lifting of urban planning expropriations.

All urban blocks designated for public or community land uses are recorded and analyzed.

The process includes several key stages:

  • Comprehensive documentation of the existing situation
  • Assessment of the needs of the local community
  • Strategic planning of interventions
  • Monitoring the progress of implementation

The success of the plan relies on transparency, citizen participation, and adaptive project management, supporting the sustainable upgrading of urban environments. 

More specifically, the study includes:

  • Recording all public and community spaces defined in the approved urban plan, regardless of whether they have already been acquired by the municipality or the expropriation process remains incomplete.
  • Roads are generally excluded unless they connect or surround public spaces, or when independent roads exceed 30 meters in width.
  • Recording spaces for which the expropriation authority may belong to another public body, in which case the municipality may assume the role of expropriation authority.
  • In settlements established before 1923 or with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, only spaces defined in approved urban plans are recorded.
  • Excluding areas within industrial zones, business parks, building cooperatives, or spaces defined exclusively through General Urban Plans (GUP) or Local Spatial Plans.

 

Benefits

ESEKK functions as a strategic urban planning tool that supports the completion and effective implementation of municipal development plans.

Key benefits include:

  • Improved transparency and evidence-based decision-making
  • More efficient urban planning implementation and coordination between municipal services
  • Enhanced quality of life through improved public infrastructure and green spaces
  • Promotion of sustainable mobility and urban environmental upgrading
  • Increased functionality and accessibility of public spaces
  • Strengthened social cohesion and urban safety
  • Improved capacity for municipalities to manage complex urban interventions

In many municipalities, numerous designated public and community spaces remain unimplemented, creating the risk that these areas may lose their intended character. ESEKK helps prevent this by ensuring the systematic monitoring and prioritization of such spaces. 

Additionally, the geospatial database developed within the ESEKK framework provides municipal authorities with powerful tools for administrative and urban management, including:

  • Accurate spatial identification of properties and associated Cadastre IDs (KAEK) at the urban block level
  • Access to key urban planning information such as planning sectors, land-use designations, and official approval decisions
  • Monitoring and management of pending expropriations
  • Access to critical information regarding ownership status, legal documentation, and planning approvals.

 

Municipalities Where Consortis Has Implemented ESEKK Studies

Since 2022, Consortis has prepared or participated in ESEKK studies for the following municipalities:

  • Municipality of Agrinio
  • Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands
  • Municipality of Almopia
  • Municipality of Paionia
  • Municipality of Volvi
  • Municipality of Pylaia–Chortiatis
  • Municipality of Komotini
  • Municipality of Kastoria
  • Municipality of Chalkidona
  • Municipality of Thermaikos 
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