The one-week excursions take place annually to both Thessaloniki and Hannover. During the excursions, urban and regional planning projects are visited (e.g. historic city centers, start-ups and pop-up stores, urban planning offices) and thematic tours are organized on the annual focus topics (e.g. real-labs, vacancy management projects).
Urban and Regional Development Thessaloniki
From 29 September to 4 October 2024, 19 students participated in an excursion to Thessaloniki (Greece). The excursion was funded by the DAAD university partnership “FutureCentres”. It was organised and led by Prof. Dr. Rainer Danielzyk and Ms. Johanna Richter.
The six-day excursion focussed on the urban and regional development of the city and the future development of its (inner) city centre. To better understand the region and its interrelation with the city of Thessaloniki, the excursion also included three small and medium-sized towns (SMSTs).
Day 1: After the kick-off meeting, the first day started with a short city tour guided by an audio tour, “Thessaloniki with sustainable Socrates”, developed by the students from the summer school 2023 in Thessaloniki.
Day 2: Loukas Triantis, assistant professor at Aristotle University, gave a lecture on the planning system in Greece. The lecture was followed by four student presentations on Thessaloniki’s public transport, economic role in the region, nature conservation, and introductions to the three SMSTs planned to visit. Then, Olga Voutsikaki, a municipality representative, guided and introduced an urban vineyard project to the group.
Day 3: A bus tour was organized to the city of Edessa and the city of Ptolemaida. In the morning, the mayor and vice mayor of Edessa met the group and discussed the area’s future development. Then, the group visited the city centre and the waterfall. In the afternoon, Lazarus Panagiotidis, the head of Thessaloniki’s development agency (Major Development Agency), led the visits to a lignite plant and a post-industrial area renovation project. Ultimately, the group had a short visit to the centre of Ptolemaida.
Day 4: Katerina Danadiadou, the head of the urban planning department of the city of Thessaloniki, introduced the urban planning system and ongoing projects and discussed the future of the city with the group. In the afternoon, the “Unveiling Urban-Rural Divide in Greece” project of the Heinrich Böll Foundation was presented by Giorgos Melissourgos in their office on Aristotle Square.
Day 5: The second bus tour was taken to another SMST, the city of Veria. Fyllio Katsavounidou, an associate professor at Aristotle University, guided a tour of the historic area in Veria, discussing the problems of conservation of the historic district. Then, the group briefly met with local experts at the municipal hall. In the end, the group visited the Polycentric Museum of Aigai (Aegae), including the Royal Tombs and the main building, learning the profound history of this area and discussing the existing regional development issues.
Day 6: On the last day, the group visited the office of InCommon, a Non-Profit Civil Society (NPO). After introducing the NPO, the group had a workshop focusing on the “Circular Neighbourhood” theme. In the end, the group had a final round of reflection.
After the excursion, students better understood the complexities of the city of Thessaloniki and its urban and regional development through the on-site visit and the discussion with local stakeholders. The city faces a range of challenges, including the inefficiency of its current planning system. However, its efforts in energy transition, infrastructure innovation, community engagement, and support from local and international organizations are shaping its future development.
