New General Urban Plan for Thessaloniki Approved

Thessaloniki, Greece.

A new general urban plan for the Municipality of Thessaloniki was recently approved by the Environment and Energy Ministry’s Central Council for Urban Planning and Disputes.

The plan, which was first proposed in 2011, is the first in 30 years for Thessaloniki and will serve as the city’s main urban planning tool for the next 15 years.

The main objective of the new plan is to solve the land use problems of the old plan, which is outdated and no longer meets the needs of the city.

The new Thessaloniki general urban plan. Photo source: Thessaloniki Municipality.

The plan also aims to provide incentives for the reuse of inactive building stock, including listed buildings, and to ensure favorable conditions for the implementation of major urban interventions that will enhance the development of the city.

One of the key features of the new plan is the creation of large parks near areas of major investment.

These parks, combined with the creation and expansion of pedestrian walkways and a proposed network of non-motorized transport axes, aim to transform Thessaloniki into a sustainable city.

Part of Thessaloniki’s New Seafront. Photo source: Friends of New Seafront.

The new plan also includes a number of provisions for the upgrading and revitalization of urban areas. These interventions are aimed at improving the quality of life for residents and making the city more attractive to tourists and investors.

According to the approved general urban plan, Thessaloniki will be divided in 24 neighborhoods/districts, to better address issues like lack of parking areas or public parks and better manage all available urban space.

Furthermore, the city center will be expanded towards the west, with all available municipal and public land reserved for public and administrative use and parking.

Thessaloniki, Greece.

More specifically, the municipality’s 800-hectare Lachanokipoi area, a natural extension of the city’s commercial center with a development potential due to its proximity to the port, the commercial railway station and the Holocaust Museum, as well as a smaller area of 20 hectares in the Railing Road district, will be included in the city plan for residential and green city center uses. The smaller areas currently outside the plan will have community and green uses.

In addition, special protection areas are planned for the urban forest and streams in the outlying area, as well as the harmonizing of the new urban plan’s boundaries with reforested areas.