Participatory Planning in Support of Resilient Natural/Cultural Resource Management

Abstract

Radical developments of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have severely affected various sectors, with culture and tourism being among the direct recipients of this technological revolution. Supported by ICT, the efficient and innovative management of cultural resources as well as their interlinkages with the tourist sector-the culture/tourism complex-are nowadays perceived as a vital policy choice in pursuing sustainable local development; and lie at the heart of strategic cultural tourism planning and decision-making processes in numerous communities around the globe. Along these lines, the focus of the present paper is on the development and implementation of a participatory spatial planning framework, aiming at supporting policy making with regard to resilient cultural tourism development of a particular, lagging behind, culturally-wealthy rural community of Crete (former Province of Kissamos). Based on this framework, strategic guidelines that are grounded on the sustainable and culturally-resilient exploitation of these resources, are set; and are framed by the general policy agenda at the EU and the Greek state level as well as the policy directions set up by the Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization (RIS3) at the regional level (Region of Crete).