Sustainable urban planning interventions in the historical center of the Greek town of Kalavryta

This paper presents a case study, still in progress in the Greek town of Kalavryta, where modern methods of urban planning interventions are applied to the historical center, in order to lead towards sustainable development. The choice of the particular town was made because of the new requirements that emerged as quite recently Kalavryta was appointed as the capital of a new large municipality. The history, the position and the character of the town, as well as the needs and prospects of its residents, are some of the factors that should be taken into consideration. The proposed interventions are based on three axes: Urban planning, Public utility networks and Architecture - all sharing as common objectives the improvement of the town image and the support towards its sustainable development. Some of the solutions applied are the modification of the building restrictions, traffic arrangements, pedestrianizations, public utility network improvement, architectural interventions and overall redevelopment of the historical center. All the above also contribute to make the historical center friendlier to the pedestrians. With a large part of the project already implemented, creation of high-quality public spaces, sustainable improvement of the natural and built environment as well as enhancement of the local economy have been achieved.