Participatory Planning and Local Economic Development: A Case Study of Northeast Halkidiki

In recent decades, there has been an increasing interest in public participation in decision-making processes, due to a whole range of factors, but mainly because society is showing an ever increasing mistrust in governments. Furthermore, through public participation, citizens are given the opportunity to provide information regarding the physical and biological properties of a region, which may not have been detected by the experts involved in developmental policy decisions, but could prove substantial for planning purposes. This situation is further aggravated when, on the one hand, decisions related to economic growth need to be taken which involve mortgaging the environment, sometimes with an irreversible effect and, on the other hand, when such investments can provide thousands of jobs in a country currently experiencing the fifth year of the recession. The relevant research was carried out in Northeast Halkidiki using a structured questionnaire, in order to examine the views of the local residents on issues pertaining to the economic growth of the area and its impact on the environment. The research results show that the residents wish for local development to focus on tourism and livestock farming and hold governmental bodies responsible for the downgrading of the environment. Finally, another interesting viewpoint considers that growth should primarily be based on mining activities; its supporters draw information from the TV and from discussions with their family environment and friends.