The impact of tourism on the built environment in the traditional rural settings of Greece

The impact of tourism on the built environment in the traditional rural settings of Greece: the case of Pelion villages

by Dimitra Zouzoula, M.Arch

UCL

FACULTY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING

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UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON FACULTY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING

The impact of tourism on the built environment in the traditional rural settings of Greece: the case of Pelion villages

by Dimitra Zouzoula, M.Arch

Being a dissertation submitted to the faculty of The Built Environment as part of the requirements for the award of the MSc in Urban Regeneration at University College London: I declare that this dissertation is entirely my own work and that ideas, data and images, as well as direct quotations, drawn from elsewhere are identified and referenced.

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01/09/2015 Main body: 9.874 words Appendices: 1.958 words 

Acknowledgement I am very grateful for the help I have received from my supervisor, Ms Juliana Borowczyk Martins, over the last four months. I would like to express my sincere thanks for her support, continuous guidance and critical review of my research.

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contents page List of tables and diagrams

4

List of figures

4

Abstract

5

1. INTRODUCTION

6

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Tourism and the built environment - relationships and impacts 2.2. Tourism policy review: from European to Greek national level

9 10 14

3. RESEARCH DESIGN 3.1. Determination of the study's assessment model 3.2. Setting of the analytical framework 3.3. Research methods

15 16 17 17

4. CASE STUDY 4.1. Pelion and tourism development 4.2. Lafkos 4.2.1. Lafkos: a mountainous village 4.2.2. Tourism development in Lafkos 4.2.3. The impact of tourism on the built environment of Lafkos 4.3. Milina 4.3.1. Milina: a coastal village 4.3.2. Tourism development in Milina 4.3.3. The impact of tourism on the built environment of Milina

19 20 21 21 23 24 27 27 29 29

5. ANALYSIS 5.1. Case study investigation outcomes 5.2. Implications of tourism on the built environment in rural settings

32 33 34

6. CONCLUSION

38

References

41

Appendices

44



List of tables AND Diagrams

page Table 1: Negative and positive impacts of tourism on the built environment (from the literature) 13 Table 2: Research framework and methods 18 Table 3: Summary of the implications of tourism on the built environment of Lafkos and Milina 33 Table 4: Summary of the implications of tourism on the built environment in rural settings 37 Diagram 1: Model for assessing the impact of tourism on the built environment 16

List of FIGURES Figure 1: Placement of the study area on maps 20 Figure 2: Location of the case studies on map: 1)Lafkos - mountainous village, 2) Milina - coastal village 21 Figure 3: Lafkos - diagrammatic yield of the residential organization 22 Figure 4: Lafkos square: ground plan (left), analysis (right) 22 Figure 5: Various architectural styles in Mount Pelion: tower-house (left) and provincial Neoclassicism (right) 23 Figure 6: The traditional square of Lafkos (taken by Dimitris Amoutzas, published on flickr.gr) 23 Figure 7: View of the main pathway of Lafkos, heading to the square 23 Figure 8: Tourism-related built environment of Lafkos 24 Figure 9: Existing built environment within the village of Lafkos 25 Figure 10: View of the secondary path network 25 Figure 11: Example of a well-preserved traditional property which transformed into a hotel (image available at: http://www.fotuarthotel.gr/) 25 Figure 12: Exteriors deviate from the original form after property's transformation into guesthouse 25 Figure 13: Big-scale hotel development imitates the traditional style 26 Figure 14: Panoramic view of Milina 27 Figure 15: Milina - diagrammatic yield of the residential organization 27 Figure 16: Milina seaside promenade - evolution 28 Figure 17: Traditional architecture in the seafront of Milina 28 Figure 18: Tourist development in Milina 29 Figure 19: Seafront intervention - wooden flooring along the beach 30 Figure 20: Seafront intervention - curvy bridge along the beach 30 Figure 21: Well-preserved house used as guesthouse on the seafront of Milina 30 Figure 22: Well-preserved house used as cafe on the seafront of Milina 30 Figure 23: Hotel development in the old fabric - direct interrelation with the existing, traditional built environment 31

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Abstract The development of tourism concerns the creation of a new built environment and the transformation of the existing, in order to be accommodated the increased need in space that tourism activity demands. Previous studies regarding the impact of tourism on the built environment resulted in the acceptance that it has both positive and negative effect on it. So far, the research field is solely focused on the impact of tourism on the physical environment of the urban space, while there is lack of relative empirical research in the rural setting, even for Greece where tourism is basic economic source, especially developed in rural areas. The dissertation aspires to answer what is the impact of tourism on the built environment in the Greek rural setting. The study identifies the implications of tourism on the man-made physical setting of Pelion villages, which are utilised as a case study, and the impacts refer to both the existing and the newly developed tourism-related built environment. The paper concludes with the reaffirmation of the previous authors’ statement about the existence of impact and contributes to the debate by adding findings concerning not any more the urban but the rural setting.

The touristy destinations are affected both positively and negatively; their existing environment is benefited by tourism as its protection and preservation is promoted, while the newly developed built environment causes mostly the negative impact, due to its thoughtless and random development that produces an out of scale and alienated in style new build. Moreover, the paper introduces and suggests a structured research framework by the enrichment and the completion of the methodological practice of previous studies, that it could be the basis for future investigation on topic.

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1

introduction

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chapter 1

1. Introduction Tourism is a dynamic and increasingly growing sector of the global economy. Its origins are located back in Antiquity; however it became an industry and a growth driver since the twentieth century, when European elites started touring for leisure and business, and hospitality industry emerged (Papageorgiou, 2013). Tourism industry in a massive scale began in the 1960s; over the past forty years it grew rapidly, generated wealth and became the success story of modern times (Theobald, 2005).

The natural flow, but even more the anxious rhythms, of the tourism activity affects positively and negatively the host localities in economic, sociocultural and environmental terms (Theobald, 2005). The built environment plays a significant role in shaping and being shaped by tourism (Jafari, 1997), thus a study for its impact on the built environment is vitally important for further, sustainable tourism and economic development.

In literature, the built environment that relates to tourism's impact occurs as a subcategory of the physical environment or the physical setting in which tourism takes place (Zaei and Zaei, 2013). There are numerous studies generally about the impact of tourism on the built environment, meaning both the natural and the built one. For instance, Cohen (1978) examined the impact of tourism activity on the natural and the man-made environments and he argued the value given to conservation of these places due to tourism development. Furthermore, Mathieson and Wall (1982) investigated the field concerning the effects of tourism of man-modified environments and they resulted in an overall study of tourism-related impact at each level. More recently, Vehbi and Doralti (2010) gave an even deeper insight on topic, providing a research with a special focus on the impact of tourism on the built environment which proves the catalytic role of tourism on the transformations of the physical setting.

The studies mentioned above concern urban contexts, whilst there is limited empirical research in rural settings. Moreover, there is almost no research on topic in the Greek rural setting, despite the fact that tourism is the most developing economic sector there, according to recent statistics (WTO, 2014).

This paper contributes to the debate about the tourism impact on the built environment and is specialised in the rural setting of Greece. The study aims to identify the implications of tourism on the man-made physical environment, referring to both the existing one that had not primarily built for tourism purposes and the one that regards tourism infrastructures. My objective is the acquisition of a further understanding of the tourism implications on the built environment, especially in rural places with value in tradition and in the identification of a nation.

The rest of the thesis is structured as follows: Chapter 2 reviews the literature and policies. It is divided into two sections; the first is devoted exclusively to previous studies regarding the implications of tourism on the physical setting and the second concerns tourism policies, from European to the Greek state level. The first section concludes with the acceptance that there are impacts on the physical setting due to tourism activity in a locality; however literature lacks empirical research on topic in rural contexts, especially in the rural areas of the Greek territory. The second section reviews European and Greek tourism policies in order to offer a further understanding of how the tourism-related built environment is approached, while this review facilitates 

chapter 1 the creation of a framework for the empirical research that follows.

Chapter 3 explains the methodological approach and methods used in this thesis.

Based on a previous study's methodological tactic (Vehbi and Doralti, 2010), it is developed a renewed and enriched assessment model which is followed for the present research. The literature findings along with the results of the tourism policies review contribute largely to the creation of a research framework. This categorizes the tourism-related built environment into existing and newly developed and each of these groups is analyzed in terms of town and building scale. The data collection is based on observations of physical forms presented by the utilisation of figure-ground plans, diagrams, sketches and photographs. The observation of the changes of the physical environment is of major importance; therefore archival sources (past photographs, maps etc) are equally necessary. Since the study does not receive social dimensions, the involvement of the local community is imperceptible and limited in describing the past image of the place, where there are blurred lines.

In Chapter 4 the case study is presented and concerns two Pelion villages, one coastal and another mountain, in order to cover as much as possible different types of localities and identify more implications. I focus on the Greek territory and especially on one of its most typical traditional complexes, the villages of Mount Pelion, because the convergences in economic, cultural, physical and social terms among Pelion villages facilitate the comparisons between them since they are on a common base.

The research framework is exploited in order to examine each of the two cases. The findings of the investigation are analyzed further in the next chapter.

The results of the thesis are presented in Chapter 5. The key implications on the built environment due to tourism activity are unveiled through a comparison of the two case studies mentioned above. Briefly, the investigation results in the reaffirmation that tourism affects the built environment and its impact is both positive and negative.

The existing built environment is benefited by tourism, because the later ensures the protection and maintenance of the first. On the other hand, the newly developed tourism-related built environment is responsible for the negative impact. Thoughtless and random tourism development leads to an out of scale and alienated in style and size new built environment, so as neither fits in the existing context nor creates new valuable built setting. The conclusion (Chapter 6) summarizes the thesis and highlights the key findings, as well as questions arise for further investigation.

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2 literature review



chapter 2

2. Literature Review 2.1. Tourism and the built environment - relationships and impacts Tourism, as we know it nowadays, is a worldwide, large-scale phenomenon which propels largely the global economy (Greenwood, 1976: 130). The attractiveness of a locality and its determination as a tourist destination is highly dependent to its existing asset in built environment (Zaei and Zaei, 2013). An appealing built environment means big business-tourism and its preservation is a duty (Mosby, 1973; Cohen, 1978). Alongside with the existing built environment that refers to past activities and did not build for tourism purposes, recent infrastructural developments that implemented in order to promote and serve tourism are also important for the industry and affect the built environment as a whole. Both the existing and the new built environment that has been made afterwards purposefully for tourism development, have an interdependent relationship with tourism. Tourism of course affects and relates to economy, society, culture and so forth, but these will not be my concern in this paper.

Cohen (1978) first attempted to examine the impact on physical environment because of tourism activity in a locality. By physical environment, he refers to the natural and the man-made -historical and cultural- environment. Few years later, Mathieson and Wall (1982) delivered the first complete and concise study on tourism's impact, integrating economic, social and physical consequences. The physical chapter concerns the effects of both natural and man-modified environment. The same interpretation of the physical environment is utilised by Vehbi and Doralti (2010) in order to explore the impact of tourism in Girne (Nicosia, Cyprus). Other authors refer to environmental impact without clarifying what this comprises (Zaei and Zaei, 2013; Caneday and Zeiger, 1991). On the other side, there are many studies that are quite specialised in impacts on built environment, but notably the historical and cultural one. Specifically, they investigate how tourism affects conservation or/and alienation of such features (Orbasli, 2000; Prentice, 1993; Greenwood, 1976). Up to present, the research for the impact of tourism on the built environment has been performed alongside with the nature or solely about historical and cultural settings. None of these studies has concerned the topic exclusively and widely.

All the above mentioned literature has contributed to the determination of the built environment. Accordingly, this comprises physical features that include all types of buildings, infrastructural development as well as archeological and historical sites (Inskeep, 1991: 339). In other words, it regards all the physical aspects of the spontaneous, man-made environment that consider being historical and cultural, as well as the meretricious, man-made environment that came of the tourism activity.

From now on, in this paper, the above mentioned aspects of built environment will be the "existing" (historical and cultural) and the "newly developed" tourism-related built environment (hotels, other accommodation, and infrastructural development for tourism) accordingly.

Tourism has both positive and negative impact on the built environment. These were first identified by Cohen (1978), with a focus on the existing built environment and the affection of tourism on its preservation and promotion of such features. Mathieson and Wall (1982), referring to Cohen’ s findings, organize them without giving a further insight upon the topic. The most recent study regarding the impact of tourism on the built environment, that performed by Vehbi and Doralti (2010), relies largely on the 

chapter 2 above mentioned authors' findings, but it introduces an updated agenda of negative and positive consequences that refer to both existing and newly developed tourismrelated built environment.

The negative impacts found in different studies regard mainly the development of the new, tourism-related built environment, while the existing one owes its detrimental impact largely because of the unmonitored development of the first. After the rise of middle classes in the halfway of the last century, the "tourist boom" brought floods of tourists in attractive localities. As a result, there was high demand in large-scale infrastructural developments, to previously isolated natural or cultural environments.

Access roads, hotels, restaurants, shopping and entertainment facilities, and other services are necessitated, but without the appropriate governance these can lead to a catastrophic transformation of the built environment (Cohen, 1972:170; Cohen, 1978:219).

The most recent research on topic conducted by Vehbi and Doralti (2010) offers a rich list of impacts. The rest of this paragraph is an extensive reference to their findings.

The intensification of tourist destinations affects their size (town expansion, badly planned layout), changes the land uses (from residential to hospitality), introduces new larger in scale constructions, harms the traditional patterns and the landscape.

The traditional patterns are transformed because of the intensive land-utilization. The vocational developments promote the urbanization of the tourist destinations and harm the originality of the traditional open spaces. The monuments, the historical and/or cultural environments are downgraded, if they have not been demolished and replaced by holiday facilities. Regarding the buildings, those that are included in the existing built environment are alienated by their original style as they are transformed for tourist purposes, and those that refer to new vocational developments are usually overpowered in size and style, unlike the traditional forms. New architectural styles, poorly designed hotels, inappropriate building materials and external surfaces, intensify the problem of visual pollution and degradation of cultural space. Modern built environment occurs with no cohesion between old and new structures, obstructs scenic views and cause congestion. However, it is strongly believed that sufficient planning controls could have mitigate the risk of all the above cited as negative consequences of the tourism activity and they should be appraised.

On the other hand, tourism seems to be beneficial to the existing, historical and cultural built environment. Baysan (2001) sums up the positive impacts by reporting the protection and upgrading of valued places. There is a plethora of authors who passionately claim the contribution of tourism in appreciation and preservation of the historical and cultural built environment (Cohen, 1978:218; Waters, 1966:216; Orbasli, 2000:2; Greenwood, 1976:131; Alexander, 1953:323; Zaei and Zaei, 2013; Baysan, 2001). The maintenance of tourism activity depends on history and culture, therefore tourism provides the incentive to protect these features that promote the historical and cultural substance. It also propels the cash flow which is necessary to implement maintenance and protection projects in historical and cultural sites. Under the umbrella of heritage appreciation for tourism purposes, historical and cultural sites are conserved, old fabric is restored, traditional building typologies are preserved, and areas are improved visually and aesthetically. Positive impacts, as it has already noticed, include the introduction and/or improvement in infrastructural developments; these comprise transport facilities, road extension and maintenance, parking areas, as well as new recreational areas. 

chapter 2 Existing literature offers a good first insight on subject, despite the fact that there is limited number of papers occupied by the specific topic. It is also observed that the research topic is confined in the urban context, while there is limited empirical research regarding rural areas. Literature lacks in studies regarding the impact of tourism on the built environment of rural destinations. This dissertation aspires to fill in this gap.

The review of the previous studies facilitates the development of a list of recognized impacts. The following table (table 1) comprises the negative and positive impacts on the built environment due to tourist activity in a locality, as these came of the literature review. Vehbi and Doralti (2010) were created a research framework based respectively on previous studies and their approach has largely contributed to the formation of this paper's research framework. The key findings have been organised concerning different types of built environments and scales. Firstly, the tourism-related built environment is divided into the existing and the newly developed one. Subsequently, each of them is examined in terms of different scales; from town to building level. Finally, the positive and negative impacts that have been identified in literature are presented collectively.

Table 1 

chapter 2 Table 1: Negative and positive impacts of tourism on the built environment (from the literature) Impact of Tourism Existing built environment - related to tourism

Positive

Negative

Town scale

- protection/restoration of the old fabric - maintenance of the traditional/original open spaces

- damage of the traditional pattern - harmful transformation of the traditional/original open spaces.

- changes in land uses

Buildings

- preservation of the traditional form/typology

- disfigurement of the traditional buildings (additional features, improper refurbishment/ restoration)

Historical and/or cultural setting

- conservation of the local Heritage

- degradation - demolition

Other

Newly Town scale developed tourismrelated built environment

- obstruction of scenic view by development - infrastructural development (transport facilities, road extension and maintenance, parking areas, recreational areas)

Buildings

Other

- anarchical expansion of the town boundaries - badly planned layout

- non-cohesive, largescale constructions unlike the traditional setting (size, style: poor design, inappropriate materials, external surfaces) - visual and aesthetical improvements

- visual pollution by additional elements (signs, street furniture, ornaments) - congestion 

chapter 2 2.2. Tourism policy review: from European to Greek national level The literature review leads to a focus area of the whole built environment, which can be further shortened and specified by a tourism policy review. A tourism policy review can indicate a direct link between tourism and transformations. The point of such a review is to diminish the focus area and identify the built environments which take part in tourist activity and have an impact. The dissertation does not concern the examination of the efficiency of tourism policies. Furthermore, the policies for tourism are stated on a general basis; they do not monitor the development of tourism-related built environment, but it is shaped similarly to any built environment according to respective planning controls. This review is solely conducted in order to be developed a wellgrounded research framework.

The review is escalated from European to national tourism policies. The European Union does not legislate for the tourism-related built environment. It merely acknowledges the vital role of the existing, cultural built environment as a prerequisite for sustainable tourism development. It provides basic guidance on how nations should handle tourism development in order to ensure integrated approaches of tourism. Each nation is responsible to enact legislation according to its specific demands and special needs; however this should be in line with EU general principles.

Greece developed tourism in the post-war era and based its programme firstly on the Marshall Plan. Available policies by the official public bodies concern solely the last decade. Documentation available on past policies is limited; as a result the main sources are past studies on them. Up to 1970s, tourism development in Greece was driven by a model “ from demand to supply” which caused irreversible negative impact on the built environment due to its random and opportunistic character (Tsartas and Lagos, 2004). Afterwards, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) played catalytic role to country’ s tourism development. It focused on qualitative modernization and its maintenance, the organization of infrastructure and the encouragement of the cultural reserves’ preservation. The Ministry of Tourism stresses the need in infrastructure and development, tourist ports and land planning, but it does not suggest specific ways of implementation.

Policies agree to the appreciation and preservation of historical and cultural environments as a mean to attain tourism development and the quality of the new infrastructure in order to provide a national and global, competitive tourism product. Apart from the above summarized general principles that govern the policies, tourism public bodies do not provide the states with specific guidance. However, it is reaffirmed the significance of the built environment’ s division into existing/cultural and newly developed, as they are considered and handled differently.

A revised table of impacts for consideration is provided in the next chapter escorted by the description of the research and evaluation methods, as well as an assessment model that this study follows.

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3 RESEARCH DESIGN

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chapter 3

3. Research Design The study investigates the impact of tourism on the built environment of the rural settings of Greece. For this paper, the traditional villages of Mount Pelion in central Greece (Periphery of Thessaly) have been selected as a case study. The Periphery of Thessaly is a slow developing region which characterized by low level of tourism development (Tsartas and Lagos, 2004). The tourism activity of the region based largely on the traditional villages of Pelion, mainly the last forty years and they reflect traditional, historical and cultural characteristics similar to some other Greek, as well as Mediterranean villages.

Specifically, two different in character (mountainous and coastal) Pelion villages have been chosen, in order to cover as much cases as possible. Lafkos is a mountainous village; similar to the majority of traditional rural formations of the Greek mountains, and Milina is the case that represents the coastal villages. Despite the fact that there are many other similar to Lafkos and Milina villages, they are preferred for analysis because of their cultural and economic history, as well as their superiority against others. The utilisation of Lafkos and Milina as case studies provides through their scrutiny important conclusions that could fit in the majority of the Greek villages.

3.1. Determination of the study's assessment model The aim of the research is the investigation of the impact of tourism on the built environment of mountainous and coastal villages in the Greek rural setting. The attainment of this purpose requires the development of an assessment model. This is mainly adopted from Vehbi and Doralti (2010), who developed a similar model to elaborate nearly the same problematic concerning a small town in Cyprus. The model is described in detail in the following and it is illustrated graphically in the diagram below (diagram 1).

Diagram 1: Model for assessing the impact of tourism on the built environment Literature Review

List of negative and positive consequences of tourism on the built environment, as it is indicated by literature Setting out the analytical framework

CASE STUDY Setting out research and evaluation methods Investigation of the impact of tourism on the built environment of the Pelion villages Analysis 

chapter 3 3.2. Setting of the analytical framework A list of negative and positive implications on the built environment due to tourism activity in multiple contexts has been already identified drawing on the literature (see Chapter 2). According to the previous reviews which highlight the importance of cultural environments and the new developments for tourism, the investigation of the case study is conducted for both the existing and the newly developed tourism-related built environment, as these have been determined earlier in this paper.

Impacts have been identified at different scales and this research addresses the town and the individual building scale. Town scale for the existing built environment comprises generally the old fabric (original open spaces and traditional patterns) in terms of built footprint as well as heights. Regarding the existing asset in buildings, research concerns those that are reckoned for their architectural value and have been transformed under a preservation scheme or replacement of use from residential to hospitality. Similarly, the newly developed built environment is examined from town to building scale. The research includes the new built layout where it relates to tourism occurrence, infrastructural development in the town scale, new tourism developments in terms of building constructions.

3.3. Research methods The assessment model and the analytical framework that have been set earlier in this chapter define the variables which designate the data collection methods. The research uses multiple data collection methods, namely documentation from several sources. In more detail, the data collection comprises photographing, annotating and sketches, observations and design of the physical forms. These are exhibited mainly by mapping, architectural planning and representations of the physical forms.

The used type of research is primary qualitative, rather than a quantitative evaluation process. Special attention is given to the architectural appraisal of the transformed elements. The valuation of the observations is realized with emphasis on the quality.

Town scale transformations are critically assessed with principles of planning, while building scale ones are evaluated on an architectural basis, exploiting appropriate quotation on topic.

People involvement is limited and happens only when narratives by locals are necessary to cover any gaps on the understanding of the built forms regarding their past condition.

The restraint of contacts mitigates the risk of ethical infringement. The research relies on the observation of the built environment and its interpretation on scientific basis.

Consequently, my research does not involve ethical risk.

The following table (table 2) is the basis for the research of the case study and summarizes the analytical framework.

Table 2 

chapter 3 Table 2: Research framework and methods

Town scale (old fabric) Building scale Town scale Building scale

Newly developed tourism-related built environment

Existing built environment - related to tourism

Research framework

Data collection

Evaluation process

Patterns and infrastructures (traditional pathways, original routes)

- figure ground map - land use map - heights - route maps

- assessment of deviations from the traditional routes, pattern, and heights - changes in land uses (only when they concern tourism development)

Open spaces

- figure ground map - ground plan - diagram of use - photographing, sketching

- observation of the transformations in terms of ordinance and features - qualitative read of space

Traditional buildings (listed buildings and architecturally valued)

- facade plan (before and after if applicable) and mapping - records of materiality - photographing, sketching - attention on use change

- evaluation of maintenance - architectural appraisal

Patterns (new blocks related to tourism development)

- figure ground map - land use map - heights - route maps

- appraisal of new formations and infrastructure - verification of their submissiveness to the traditional pattern and routes

Open spaces

- figure ground map - ground plan - diagram of use (utilising narratives by locals) - photographing, sketching

- qualitative read of space

New building developments (hotels, restaurants, cafes etc)

- facade plan and mapping - records of materiality - photographing, sketching

- comparative study (traditional and modern forms) - architectural appraisal



4 CASE STUDY



chapter 4

4. Case study 4.1. Pelion and tourism development In the eastern Central Greece, in the prefecture of Magnesia and in direct connection with the city of Volos, is located the Mount Pelion.

Figure 1: Placement of the study area on maps Pelion counts forty years of tourism activity. Since the late 1970s, the Pelion coastal villages host the tourism activity in the summer, while the mountainous villages are in charge of winter periods. The demand in accommodation and other facilities for the permanent residents of the region increased the asset in built environment, which changed the balances in it and introduced new ones.

During the 1980s, there was evident interest in conserving the traditional setting of the Greek countryside. The Pelion villages inevitably became the epicenter of this debate. The settlements of Pelion characterized with a Town Planning Ordinance as traditional setting which comprises sixty four villages (including the ones used as case studies in the following)(FEK 374, 4/7/80). The state prioritised to highlight the Pelion's special architectural character and the traditional lifestyle, emphasizing especially the public spaces and individual buildings. Eventually, the incentive to exploit and protect the wealth in built environment ended up to an uncontrollable and massive tourist influx which followed by significant change in the architectural landscape (Zouzoula, 2013:31). 

chapter 4

Figure 2: Location of the case studies on map: 1)Lafkos - mountainous village 2)Milina - coastal village Furthermore, an analysis of the built environment of the case studies follows (see 4.2.

Lafkos; 4.3. Milina), in order to investigate the tourism impact on such villages and come up with conclusions about the implications of tourism on the built environment of the Greek rural region.

4.2. Lafkos 4.2.1. Lafkos: a mountainous village Lafkos is a small rural, mountainous settlement on the expansion of Mount Pelion towards the South. Regarding its formation, it affords a main centre (monocentric type) around which it is agglomerated (concentrated style). It is a typical in style village that refers not only to monocentric formations within Pelion region, but also beyond it (Makris, 1958:20; Leonidopoulou-Stylianou, 1992:18).

Concerning the town scale form of Lafkos, it is consisted by a main pathway which differs from the other routes within the village due to its significantly wider shape. This path runs along the village similarly to a circle's diameter. In the middle of its length, there is the centre of the village, namely its square. From the main path, smaller routes are branching and supplement the pedestrian network which is actually the main network. Nowadays, the central artery remains intact and operates yet as a pedestrian route, while the vehicle movement is served by the regional, provincial network where both the principal and the secondary roads abut. (Figure 3) The square (Figure 4) is approachable through any of the paths and is situated in central location, so that the distances are equally shared among the neighborhoods. It has specific 

chapter 4 functions that are remaining the same since its establishment and are related to the surrounding building uses; church, municipality, traditional cafe and fountain. On the higher level is the church so that its importance is highlighted. The square spans two steps down. Its boundaries are determined by the surrounding buildings in U shape and its opening relates to one of the church's facades. The equipment's ordinance of the restaurants and the cafes set the moves within the open space. The square is mostly a free open space dedicated to free movements. The square's main characteristics are the peripheral planting and the flooring made by slates. Apart from this central open space, there are also other open spaces smaller in scale and importance that are mainly plateaus on some points of the secondary network and they have a fountain installation in common.

Figure 3: Lafkos - diagrammatic yield of the residential organization

Figure 4: Lafkos square: ground plan (left), analysis (right) The architecture in this part of Mount Pelion differs from the typical style that has prevailed in the rest of the region. The typical Pelion architecture is reflected on the stoned towers whose upper level is a light structure where the residents used to live, while the rest lower levels were dedicated to manufacturing. The stoned part has few openings, whilst the light wooden part is full of them. The architecture of buildings 

chapter 4 in Lafkos does not obey these standards and predominate style is the provincial Neoclassicism (Figure 5). The principal material is also stone but the design differs a lot in scale and style. The footprint of these buildings occupies 80m2 on average and they are two-storey structures. Their facade is symmetrical. On the ground level is situated the main entrance in the middle of the facade's length and in both sides of it there are big opening without shutters. The upper level follows the same ratios as the ground floor facade. The openings are repeated in the same position with shutters and above the main entrance there is a floor-length window with marble balcony which is completed with iron railing. This is the traditional architectural style of the area that takes many variations depending on the owners' economic capacity.

Figure 5: Various architectural styles in Mount Pelion: tower-house (left) and provincial Neoclassicism (right) 4.2.2. Tourism development in Lafkos The tourism development in Lafkos launched shyly the last twenty years as a commercial process. Before the 1990s, the tourism activity was supported exclusively by temporal visitors who were retaining vacation homes in the area. Lodging was developed relatively recently, however the village was always attracting visitor because of its traditional square and taverns that surround it.

Figure 6: The traditional square of Lafkos Figure 7: View of the main pathway of Lafkos (from the square) 

chapter 4 The village square and the main pathway that lead to it take part in tourist activity. The square is a traditional, architectural landscape, which is considered to be a cultural site worth preserving (Figure 6). On the other hand, it is the only open space in the area dedicated to consumption, leisure and tourism. Similarly, the main pathway (Figure 7) is of major significance town feature in Pelion villages and its maintenance contributes to the protection of the local culture. Therefore, it is connected indirectly with tourist developments and along with the square is included in the existing built environment and is investigated in terms of town scale transformation criteria.

Regarding the building scale, tourist developments occupy almost 7% of the total built footprint, thereby mere one third refers to newly developed tourist built environment, whereas the rest is hosted in old shells. In specific, four guesthouses have been developed in existing structures that are of architectural value, and five restaurants, placed all of them around the square, worth culturally and architecturally. The newly developed tourism-related built environment is situated to the construction limits in the northeast side of the village.

Figure 8: Tourism-related built environment of Lafkos 4.2.3. Tourism impact on the built environment of Lafkos Regarding the existing built environment, this is well preserved by an overall appraisal.

The old fabric remains intact by tourist development (Figure 9). Tourist development that is been accommodated within the village occupy only existing buildings and there are no new development to change the old relations of the built environment. Moreover, there is not infrastructural development concerning new street network or open spaces.

The old network of traditional pathways (Figure 10) along with the square is maintained, offering a folkloric setting that not only retains the cultural character of the area, but also keeps a traditional image which is very important for the interpretation of place as a tourist destination.

All the general characteristics of the village square, as these have already described previously, are still applied. The only addition to them is an exhibition hall in the south side of the square. This attests the need of space expansion in this direction, increase its size and enrich its function; in addition to religious, social, commercial, the square needs to be a cultural centre, too. Despite the fact that the square evolves because of the increased tourist activity, it is not affected negatively to what concerns its built form, which is maintained as a cultural testimony. 

chapter 4

Figure 9: Existing built environment within Figure 10: View of the secondary path the village of Lafkos network The guesthouses that were developed in traditional residencies have been transformed in respect to the old shell in terms of scale, style and materials. The exteriors have been fully restored in the majority of the cases (Figure 11), while there is only one example of an existing building that deviates from its original form when it changed to a guesthouse. (Figure 12) There are observed few additions on its facades, such as more entrances and staircase to reach them, whereas materiality and style are maintained. Nonetheless, it is recognized the contribution of tourism to the preservation of traditional buildings through their transformation into guesthouses. Other traditional structures which are still used as residencies ravage or they have accepted mutations creating dissonance in the traditional setting.

Figure 11: Example of a well-preserved Figure 12: Exteriors deviate from the traditional property which transformed into original form after property's transformation a hotel into guesthouse The newly developed tourist built environments concerns new land outside the old fabric. As a result, it does not influence the traditional patterns. However, it creates new blocks and forces the elongation of the existing path network. The scale and the new proposed style of the hotels change the sense of space; when somebody reaches the locality and compares it with his previous experience of the place, there is a completely different impression; the building heights are higher, and the footprint of the build is bigger. 

chapter 4 The newly developed tourist built environments concerns new land outside the old fabric. As a result, it does not influence the traditional patterns. However, it creates new blocks and forces the elongation of the existing path network. The scale and the new proposed style of the hotels change the sense of space; when somebody reaches the locality and compares it with his previous experience of the place, there is a completely different impression; the building heights are higher, and the footprint of the build is bigger.

The developers of the newly built hotels have depleted the building regulations or have exploited any gaps in legislation in order to build as much as possible in limited expanses. The architectural style of the new tourism-related built environment tends to imitate the traditional character of the existing one (Figure 13), either successfully or not. The traditional building materials are used also here but not to the same degree, as they have been largely placed by concrete. Additionally, it is observed the trend of adapting the architectural style of other Pelion villages, like the tower-house instead of provincial Neoclassicism which is the local typology.

Figure 13: Big-scale hotel development imitates the traditional style To sum up, Lafkos is a mountainous village with mild tourism development. Its existing built environment is rich in traditional asset which has been partly exploited for tourist purposes. Tourism has contributed to the preservation of the traditional heritage which is reflected on buildings that have been transformed from residencies to guesthouses.

However, the newly developed tourism-related built environment concerns much more the satisfaction of the increased tourist activity instead of the contribution to the coherence of the built environment. The tourist developments create a new built environment, bigger in scale and alienated in style. The new tourist environment does not interrelate directly with the existing one, so as not to change the balances within the old fabric; however, a new reality is built in the lawn edge of the village.



chapter 4 4.3. Milina

Figure 14: Panoramic view of Milina 4.3.1. Milina: a coastal village West of Lafkos is its seaport; Milina. Milina is a small coastal village which has formed linearly across the coastline (linear type) and it does not have a concentrated open space for the public functions, but a seaside promenade where public life takes place.

Its general town character refers to a typical coastal village, whose economy is based on shipping and fishing. The majority of the coastal Greek villages have been developed similarly and they have in common the comprehension of the seaside promenade as a quirky square (Zouzoula, 2013: 60).

Firstly, the configuration of the settlement was confined along the costal way. The increase in population caused its development parallel to the primary ordinance. As a result, it was created a net of parallel and perpendicular axes that completed the town image. The coastal way expands in both sides and is part of the provincial network of South Pelion. The main building bulk is between two streams that delimiter the build and the central open space in the seaside. Outside the boundaries, the build continuous where residency and hospitality are the main uses.

Figure 15: Milina - diagrammatic yield of the residential organization The square in this case is not an enclosed open space, surrounded by building of basic functions or a place for stay. It is primarily a place of move. The coastal promenade is the village square, although it sounds paradoxical. Initially, there was none formation 

chapter 4 on the coastal zone; there was merely the informal treaty between the residents for using it as the centre of their public activities. This linear ''square'' served the transactions, the religion operations, the traditional celebrations and cultural events. It remained intact until the 1960 when a new, solid intervention was added (Figure 16). The increase in the vehicle number, the raise of tourism activity and the lack of a built open space, led to the creation of a more shaped version of the seaside promenade.

Figure 16: Milina seaside promenade - evolution The traditional architectural style here is also provincial Neoclassicism. It has been already mentioned that Milina was connected to Lafkos economically, politically and socially. The architecture is influenced by its neighbor and has same features. The traditional building style is represented by the majority of the structures on the coastal way (Figure 17) and few other dotted in the inner village.

Figure 17: Traditional architecture in the seafront of Milina 

chapter 4 4.3.2. Tourism development in Milina The tourism development in Milina started more dynamic and earlier than in Lafkos.

From the beginning of the previous century, there were inns in the area because for being a port, hosted many foreigners that visited the village for trading. The massive influx of tourists happened in the 1960s when the area developed camping amenities and the first organised hotels were established. Until today, plenty of hotels and guesthouses have been built and have contributed significantly to the composition of the new built environment.

The configuration of the seaside promenade is largely related to the tourism development of the area. The infrastructural development of the coast was intensified by the need of a better designed street network and the increasing demand in open space where the store equipment would be installed. The space between the building and the coast line has been covered by concrete and has been divided into linear zones that serve different uses. Beginning from the building line, the first zone is dedicated to restaurant and market equipment, supplanting the pavement. After it, the street with two traffic lanes follows and the last zone is a promenade that is partly cut off in order to be occupied by tables and chairs of the opposite side enterprises. Other infrastructural developments regarding the street network have been implemented the last forty years, but they do not relate to tourism.

Concerning the building scale, tourist developments occupy almost 9% of the total built footprint, the majority of which is newly developed tourism-related built environment, whereas only two guesthouses are hosted in old shells, while the most of the existing built environment on the seafront has been exploited for commercial uses such as cafes and restaurants. The new tourism-related built environment has been developed mainly on the seafront of Milina, both in the town centre and outside the settlement boundaries, especially linearly in the continuation of the village in the south. Fewer tourist developments are noted dotted within the village.

Figure 18: Tourist development in Milina 4.3.3. Tourism impact on the built environment of Milina The existing built environment of Milina is generally well preserved. However, the old fabric is affected negatively by the newly developed tourist environment; either it concerns open space configurations or buildings. 

chapter 4 The village centre development is characterized by sketchiness and lack of respect for the natural environmental features and the local identity, altering the image of the place. Recently, in 2008 there was another attempt to redesign the seafront of Milina (Figures 19 & 20), without the existence of a coherent planning proposal. The development intended more to the beautification of place rather than its substance redefinition. Hence, the aesthetical degradation and the depreciation of place as a tourist destination were intensified.

Figure 19: Seafront intervention - wooden Figure 20: Seafront intervention - curvy flooring along the beach bridge along the beach The guesthouses, as well as the restaurants and the cafes that were developed in traditional shells have been transformed in respect to the traditional typology (Figures 21 & 22). The exteriors are well maintained in all cases, while the rest traditional asset in buildings that is not occupied by tourist uses decays. It is not observed additions or deteriorations on the facades, on the contrary they retain intact and well maintained their traditional features.

Figure 21: Well-preserved house used as Figure 22: Well-preserved house used as guesthouse on the seafront of Milina cafe on the seafront of Milina The newly developed tourist built environments concerns both new lands outside the old fabric and the remaining, until recently unoccupied space, among traditional structures, especially on the seafront. The first type of tourist development is situated outside the old fabric, gathered in a specific location. It contributes to the continuation of the build in this direction and creates a new typology of built environment, completely different from the existing, traditional patterns that prevail inland. The buildings are mainly three storeys, their footprint is at least twice the size of a common, traditional residency and the built material is mostly concrete. It is noticed that these structures were built before the 1990s, when the legislation was loose and allowed big-scale 

chapter 4 developments in the area area, because Milina was one of the last villages that characterized as a preservation area. However, these tourist developments are few, dotted in a long distance and perched on the hill, that someone hardly perceives the violent incoherence with the existing built environment. Nevertheless, it is difficult not to notice the misconceived architectural style that pretends to be a traditional one, but it is so improvised and opportunistic that the deceit is unveiled easily.

The new tourism-related buildings that are facing the coastal road in the heart of the village present the same characteristics. Here the impact is more obvious because of the proximity and the interrelation of the new developments with the traditional setting (Figure 24). The presence of the new structures affects the traditional pattern and creates a completely different scene that is alienated from the traditional image. In terms of the town scale, the new patterns are dense and the ratios between new and old structures are unequal; the second is overpowered by the first. The comparison between the new and the existing structures are direct and the impact is adverse.

Regarding the new building typology, this is not in line with the human scale; there is no respect to the existing, traditional asset which is in close proximity; and the misconceived use of materials intensifies the problem of aesthetical degradation of the village seafront. There are also dotted tourist developments concerning hotels and guesthouses inland, but they are rare, sparse and mild that their impact on the built environment is imperceptible.

Figure 23: Hotel development in the old fabric - direct interrelation with the existing, traditional built environment In conclusion, Milina is a coastal village with increased tourist activity. Its existing, traditional built environment is limited on the seafront and is largely occupied by tourism uses. Tourism propels the maintenance of the traditional asset which has transformed into guesthouses, hotels, but mostly into restaurants and cafes. The newly developed tourism-related built environment concerns the majority of tourist developments and it is mainly responsible for the negative impacts. It creates new built environment relations, changes the ratios of the patterns and the image of place, because of its out-of-human scale and the alienated style. The new tourist environment gets involved in the composition of a new town fabric along with the existing one and the outcome is an incoherent in scale and style built environment.



5 Analysis



chapter 5

5. Analysis 5.1. Case study investigation outcomes An analytical description of the conditions of built environment and the tourism impact on it has been already mentioned for a mountainous and a coastal case of villages on Mount Pelion. In the following table (table 3), there are concentrated the outcomes of the investigation on tourism impact on the built environment for both cases.

Table 3: Summary of the implications of tourism on the built environment of Lafkos and Milina

Town scale (old fabric) Building scale Town scale

Newly developed tourism-related built environment

Existing built environment - related to tourism

Criteria

Key findings Lafkos

Milina

Patterns and infrastructures (traditional pathways, original routes)

- old path network traditional pathways are well maintained and preserved - traditional, old fabric is not affected by tourism development

- traffic network has been evolved, but there is no relevance to tourism - traditional block patterns have been intensified.

Open spaces

- village square is well preserved and retains its features

- the seafront configurations are expanded against nature and the traditional forms

Traditional buildings (liarchitecturally valued)

- architectural style is respected - facades are well maintained - materials are used appropriately

- architectural style is respected - facades are well maintained - materials are used appropriately

Patterns (new blocks related to tourism development)

- new blocks are created on the verge of the village; they are not involved with old fabric, so it is not affected, but they create new realities of built environment

- new blocks are created on the verge of the village; they are not involved with old fabric, so it is not affected, but they create new realities of built environment - within old blocks are added new, different in scale structures that change the ratios of built and unbuilt of the tradition patterns 

Town scale Building scale

Newly developed tourism-related built environment

chapter 5 Open spaces

- no new open spaces

- new open space development (seafront promenade) is characterized by sketchiness and disrespect for the natural and the cultural environment.

New building developments (hotels, restaurants, cafes etc)

- out of human scale - imitation of architectural styles that do not apply to the local one - inappropriate use of materials (overuse of concrete)

- out of human scale - the architectural style is not in line with the local one; aesthetical degradation - inappropriate use of materials (overuse of concrete) - improvised and opportunistic approach, benefited by the lack of the necessary planning controls

5.2. Implications of tourism on the built environment in rural settings The investigation shows that tourism affects the built environment and its influence is both positive and negative. The paper contributes to an insightful understanding of the impact of tourism on the built environment of rural, traditional settings which is a topic that never occupied any previous study whose interest was limited in the urban contexts.

The investigation concerned two traditional villages of the same region and each of them represented one specific type of village; mountainous and coastal respectively.

The separation into two cases was proved fertile, as the implications found were different. An explanation to this is given by the fact that the mountainous villages are generally more specifically configured than the coastal ones, which were built without planning, but by a demand-led, instinctive process. Additionally, the mountainous villages were supposed to be undoubtedly of preservation value by the state, while the coastal ones received this title much later, so in the meanwhile, the loose planning controls caused their alienation by allowing inappropriate in scale and style new build, especially within the old fabric (Tsartas and Lagos, 2004). As a result, the old fabric of the mountainous villages is intact and well preserved; whilst in the coastal settlements it is intensified because of the intrusion of new, inappropriate tourist developments.

Completely different scenes between the two cases are also noted about their open spaces. The square of the mountainous villages is a cultural place, fixed structured that its maintenance secures the sustainability of tourism development. The coastal villages were operated complementary to the other villages, so their open spaces were offhand or there were not at all. The tourism activity in coastal localities is clearly more developed and intensive, so that the development of new open spaces is requisite.



chapter 5 The dotted and usually improvised regeneration schemes concerning the open spaces in coastal villages, the lack of aesthetical consciousness and the reduced interest in the open spaces in a rural context, results in the degradation of such spaces. Lastly, the modern demands in open space cannot be satisfied by the old formations, so its redefinition is peremptory.

Despite there are conflicting outcomes regarding the tourism impact on the open spaces of mountainous and coastal villages, the investigation results in quite similar conclusions about the tourism impact on the building scale, both for the existing and the newly developed tourist built environment. The traditional building asset is well preserved due to their tourist utilisation. It is also observed the degradation of many other traditional buildings that might have been better handled and maintained if they had been used for tourism purposes. Tourism creates the incentive of protecting the traditional forms because it ensures to a great extent its sustainability. It has also proved that the private initiative along with the appropriate planning controls by the state, end up to a coherent and well protected cultural built environment.

The major dissonance of the built environment comes from the newly developed tourist built environment in all cases. Although, the law is respected, the new tourism-related developments create a new built environment that does not match with the traditional surrounding and the physiognomy of the region. In most cases, these are located on the verge of the build, so that they are not in direct connection with the old fabric but they remain irrelevant to the existing built environment. Their scale, style and materiality create a new, alienated reality in the built environment that overpowers against the traditional asset. The scale is twice or more the size of a regular structure; the style is a loan from other parts of the region that have predominated and it does not go in line with the established local architecture; the materials are partly the traditional ones, while the concrete prevails. The traditional materials are not used as basic building materials; instead there is a decorative approach in their installation.

The problem of incoherence between the newly developed and the existing built environment is intensified when the new tourism-related structures -mainly in the coastal settlements- interrelate with the traditional buildings, within the old fabric. Their interface is direct and the inconsistency of the new development is manifest. Their differences in scale cause radical change in the ratios of the built pattern in the old fabric, converting it to more dense. The intensity of place is affected not only by the size of the footprint of the new developments, but also by their size and height.

The positive tourism impact concerns mainly the existing built environment, which is preserved and protected due to tourist activity in one area. The contribution of tourism in the preservation of the traditional building heritage has highlighted already in the beginning of this study, by citing Cohen's (1978) quotation on topic and it is also confirmed by this study. Tourism provides the private initiative with the incentive to protect and preserve the traditional asset in buildings and use this for tourist purposes, because of the ensuring of economic benefits. State also assists this initiative and rewards these attempts, in order to retain the cultural built environment.

On the other hand, the newly developed tourism-related built environment affects negatively the whole build with the dissimilarity that presents. The new tourism-related environment rarely respects the existing traditional setting, is indifferent to its matching with the old fabric and does not propose new architectural, cultural built environment 

chapter 5 that would be a manifest for the action of a cultural being at present; its destination is exclusively the profit.

Tourism in these places starts demanding lot of space that is hardly accommodated in the existing asset of buildings or new, same-size structures, so that the new developments end up to big scale projects. The traditional scale of the old fabric provides the sense of escape from the city, but the newly developed tourism-related built environment promotes urbanization which brings tourism opposite to its comparative advantage; the small-scale, picturesque and valuable built environment. Since the alternation of the existing, traditional built environment is nonnegotiable, the problem of preserving the human scale and developing at the same time a tourism economy raises another debate on the impact of tourism on the built environment, even more specialised in scale issues.

In the following table (table 4) are summarized both the negative and the positive impact of tourism on the built environment in rural tourist destinations that occur cultural interest.

Table 4 

chapter 5 Table 4: Summary of the implications of tourism on the built environment in rural settings

Town scale (old fabric) Building scale Town scale Building scale

Newly developed tourism-related built environment

Existing built environment - related to tourism

Criteria

Positive

Negative

Patterns and infrastructures (traditional pathways, original routes)

well preserved (mountainous villages)

intensified in coastal villages by the newly developed tourist built environment - change of building ratios

Open spaces

well maintained (mountainous villages)

disrespect to the old formations and previous functional role (coastal villages)

well preserved and maintained -respect to the scale and style - restoration of materiality

___

Patterns (new blocks related to tourism development)

___

no matching with the traditional patterns new built environment relations disrespectful to the old fabric incoherent setting

Open spaces

___

inappropriate, improvised and incoherent configurations in coastal villages

New building developments (hotels, restaurants, cafes etc)

___

no respect to the traditional, local architecture overpowering building size and style

Traditional buildings (liarchitecturally valued)



6 Conclusion



chapter 6

6. Conclusion Since the 1960s when the villages of Mount Pelion became one of the first in preference tourist destinations in Greece, tourism development became an important mean to raise the local economy. Politicians and planners paid major attention to the preservation of cultural heritage as a way to ensure tourism development, whose existence depends largely on the traditional building asset, without leaving aside the new developments.

As already discussed, tourism affects the built environment and creates both positive and negative impact on the built environment of the host localities.

In this paper, taking two Pelion villages -one mountainous and another coastal- as case studies, it is investigated the impact of tourism on the built environment. The analysis is conducted in the rural setting which is characterized by traditional features and the cultural built environment. My study aspires to cover the gap of the existing literature on the impact of tourism on the built environment, which is limited in the urban contexts and it has no reference to rural areas. The study brings the problematic up-todate with new findings on topic, as well as it contributes to the affirmation of previously stated verifications.

Regarding the decision of investigating two different types of villages as case studies, this was proved useful to sum up with interesting conclusions about the impact of tourism on the built environment, not generally for the rural areas, but for specific types of rural localities. The research concludes with differences in the implications of tourism between the cases, which reaffirms and imposes the separation for future related studies. The difference can be attributed to the fact that the Greek mountainous villages were more habited in the past and thus their traditional built environment is more comprehensive than in coastal villages, where it is patchy, improvised and less shaped. Therefore, the traditional asset in built environment in mountainous cases seems easily protectable, while in the other case it is endangered by the newly developed tourist built environment which slips brashly amid the old fabric.

The analysis confirms tourism's contribution to the preservation of the cultural built environments and acknowledges their interrelation and interdependence, verifying past findings (Cohen, 1978:218; Waters, 1966:216; Orbasli, 2000:2; Greenwood, 1976:131; Alexander, 1953:323; Zaei and Zaei, 2013; Baysan, 2001). However, the new developed tourism-rekated built environment is responsible for the negative implications. An explanation to that is the fact that the traditional building asset composes the tourism core and receives the most positive impact, while the new developments are in distance from it and receive more negative impacts.

Based on all these findings, it can be conducted that the newly developed tourism-related built environment in both mountainous and coastal villages is endangered as a result of random tourism development. Regarding the existing built environment, it receives the positive impact and is benefited by the presence of tourism in a destination. The existing built environment, which refers to the traditional heritage in built environment, is valuable for the further development of tourism and thus it is protected and preserved.

The protection of the local identity through the preservation of the traditional heritage should be the starting point for tourism development. However, the newly developed built environment concerning tourist facilities should be also taken into account and built along with the basic architectural principles imposed by the existing conditions, otherwise the overall assessment results in negative impact. 

chapter 6 This paper offers a first insight on the impact of tourism on the built environment of rural areas. However the chosen case study concerns villages with mild tourism development and this is a fact that needs to be considered for further research on topic. Additionally, in light of the previously mentioned findings further, more specialised debate specifically on the scale of the newly developed tourism-related built environment is raised. Future work includes examination of whether should be limitation to tourism development and how tourist amenities could fit in small-scale traditional, rural settings.

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web sites Greek National Tourism Organization http://www.gnto.gov.gr/ Ministry of Tourism http://www.mintour.gov.gr/

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Appendices RISK ASSESSMENT FORM FIELD / LOCATION WORK The Approved Code of Practice - Management of Fieldwork should be referred to when completing this form http://www.ucl.ac.uk/estates/safetynet/guidance/fieldwork/acop.pdf DEPARTMENT/SECTION FACULTY OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT, BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING LOCATION(S) PELION - GREECE PERSONS COVERED BY THE RISK ASSESSMENT Dimitra Zouzoula BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIELDWORK The empirical research will take place in Pelion. The aim of the fieldwork is to investigate the tourism impact on the physical environment (urban and architectural forms) of the rural localities of Pelion. The main data will be observations of physical forms. The observation of the changes of the physical environment is of major importance; therefore archival sources (past photographs, maps etc) and residents’ narratives are equally necessary. Discussions will be conducted with 1-5 residents in order to identify changes in the built environment and the architectural forms where archival data are inadequate. Target participants are elderly permanent residents who are able to compose the past images of the study area.

Consider, in turn, each hazard (white on black). If NO hazard exists select NO and move to next hazard section.

If a hazard does exist select YES and assess the risks that could arise from that hazard in the risk assessment box.

Where risks are identified that are not adequately controlled they must be brought to the attention of your Departmental Management who should put temporary control measures in place or stop the work. Detail such risks in the final section.

ENVIRONMENT e.g. location, climate, terrain, neighbourhood, in outside organizations, pollution, animals.

CONTROL MEASURES

The environment always represents a safety hazard. Use space below to identify and assess any risks associated with this hazard Examples of risk: adverse weather, illness, hypothermia, assault, getting lost.

Is the risk high / medium / low ?

Enironmental risks include hot weather. The risk is medium.

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

work abroad incorporates Foreign Office advice participants have been trained and given all necessary information only accredited centres are used for rural field work participants will wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the specified environment trained leaders accompany the trip refuge is available work in outside organisations is subject to their having satisfactory H&S procedures in place OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented: Discussions will only be conducted with willing participants.

EMERGENCIES e.g. fire, accidents

Where emergencies may arise use space below to identify and assess any risks Examples of risk: loss of property, loss of life

Potential emergencies include personal harm.

CONTROL MEASURES

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

participants have registered with LOCATE at http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/ fire fighting equipment is carried on the trip and participants know how to use it contact numbers for emergency services are known to all participants participants have means of contacting emergency services participants have been trained and given all necessary information a plan for rescue has been formulated, all parties understand the procedure the plan for rescue /emergency has a reciprocal element OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented:

FIELDWORK EQUIPMENT

1

May 2010 Is equipment used?

No

If ‘No’ move to next hazard If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any risks

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FIELDWORK

1

May 2010

EQUIPMENT

Is equipment used?

e.g. clothing, outboard motors.

If ‘No’ move to next hazard If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any risks Examples of risk: inappropriate, failure, insufficient training to use or repair, injury. Is the risk high / medium / low ?

CONTROL MEASURES

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

No

the departmental written Arrangement for equipment is followed participants have been provided with any necessary equipment appropriate for the work all equipment has been inspected, before issue, by a competent person all users have been advised of correct use special equipment is only issued to persons trained in its use by a competent person OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented:

LONE WORKING

Is lone working a possibility?

e.g. alone or in isolation lone interviews.

If ‘No’ move to next hazard If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any risks Examples of risk: difficult to summon help. Is the risk high / medium / low?

Yes

Discussions and observations may be done alone.

CONTROL MEASURES

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

the departmental written Arrangement for lone/out of hours working for field work is followed lone or isolated working is not allowed location, route and expected time of return of lone workers is logged daily before work commences all workers have the means of raising an alarm in the event of an emergency, e.g. phone, flare, whistle all workers are fully familiar with emergency procedures OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented: Discussions will be undertaken in view of other people.

FIELDWORK

2

May 2010

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ILL HEALTH

The possibility of ill health always represents a safety hazard. Use space below to identify and assess any risks associated with this Hazard.

Examples of risk: injury, asthma, allergies. Is the risk high / medium / low?

e.g. accident, illness, personal attack, special personal considerations or vulnerabilities.

Ill health is a possible risk. The risk is low.

CONTROL MEASURES

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

an appropriate number of trained first-aiders and first aid kits are present on the field trip all participants have had the necessary inoculations/ carry appropriate prophylactics participants have been advised of the physical demands of the trip and are deemed to be physically suited participants have been adequate advice on harmful plants, animals and substances they may encounter participants who require medication have advised the leader of this and carry sufficient medication for their needs OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented: Contact numbers for these cases are known. I have means of contacting these services.

TRANSPORT

Will transport be NO Move to next hazard required YES Use space below to identify and assess any risks Examples of risk: accidents arising from lack of maintenance, suitability or training Is the risk high / medium / low?

e.g. hired vehicles

CONTROL MEASURES

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

only public transport will be used the vehicle will be hired from a reputable supplier transport must be properly maintained in compliance with relevant national regulations drivers comply with UCL Policy on Drivers http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/college_drivers.php drivers have been trained and hold the appropriate licence there will be more than one driver to prevent driver/operator fatigue, and there will be adequate rest periods sufficient spare parts carried to meet foreseeable emergencies OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented:

DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC

Will people be dealing with public

If ‘No’ move to next hazard If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any risks Examples of risk: personal attack, causing offence, being misinterpreted. Is the risk high / medium / low? low risk of causing offence.

e.g. interviews, observing

CONTROL MEASURES

Yes

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

all participants are trained in interviewing techniques interviews are contracted out to a third party advice and support from local groups has been sought participants do not wear clothes that might cause offence or attract unwanted attention interviews are conducted at neutral locations or where neither party could be at risk OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented:

FIELDWORK

3

May 2010

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WORKING ON OR NEAR WATER

If ‘No’ move to next hazard If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any risks Examples of risk: drowning, malaria, hepatitis A, parasites. Is the risk high / medium / low?

Will people work on or near water?

e.g. rivers, marshland, sea.

CONTROL MEASURES

No

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

lone working on or near water will not be allowed coastguard information is understood; all work takes place outside those times when tides could prove a threat all participants are competent swimmers participants always wear adequate protective equipment, e.g. buoyancy aids, wellingtons boat is operated by a competent person all boats are equipped with an alternative means of propulsion e.g. oars participants have received any appropriate inoculations OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented:

MANUAL HANDLING (MH) e.g. lifting, carrying, moving large or heavy equipment, physical unsuitability for the task.

CONTROL MEASURES

Do MH activities take place?

If ‘No’ move to next hazard If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any risks Examples of risk: strain, cuts, broken bones. Is the risk high / medium / low?

No

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

the departmental written Arrangement for MH is followed the supervisor has attended a MH risk assessment course all tasks are within reasonable limits, persons physically unsuited to the MH task are prohibited from such activities all persons performing MH tasks are adequately trained equipment components will be assembled on site any MH task outside the competence of staff will be done by contractors OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented:

FIELDWORK

4

May 2010

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SUBSTANCES

e.g. plants, chemical, biohazard, waste

Will participants If ‘No’ move to next hazard No work with If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any substances risks Examples of risk: ill health - poisoning, infection, illness, burns, cuts. Is the risk high / medium / low?

CONTROL MEASURES

Indicate which procedures are in place to control the identified risk

the departmental written Arrangements for dealing with hazardous substances and waste are followed all participants are given information, training and protective equipment for hazardous substances they may encounter participants who have allergies have advised the leader of this and carry sufficient medication for their needs waste is disposed of in a responsible manner suitable containers are provided for hazardous waste OTHER CONTROL MEASURES: please specify any other control measures you have implemented:

OTHER HAZARDS

Have you identified any other hazards?

i.e. any other hazards must be noted and assessed here.

Hazard: Risk: is the risk

CONTROL MEASURES

Give details of control measures in place to control the identified risks

Have you identified any risks that are not adequately controlled?

No

NO YES

If ‘No’ move to next section If ‘Yes’ use space below to identify and assess any risks

Move to Declaration Use space below to identify the risk and what action was taken

Is this project subject to the UCL requirements on the ethics of Non-NHS Human Research?

No

If yes, please state your Project ID Number For more information, please refer to: http://ethics.grad.ucl.ac.uk/ The work will be reassessed whenever there is a significant change and at least annually.

Those participating in the work have read the assessment.

Select the appropriate statement: I the undersigned have assessed the activity and associated risks and declare that there is no significant residual risk I the undersigned have assessed the activity and associated risks and declare that the risk will be controlled by the method(s) listed above

DECLARATION

NAME OF SUPERVISOR Juliana Borowczyk Martins

SIGNATURE OF SUPERVISOR FIELDWORK

5

DATE

12 JUNE 2015 May 2010

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