This book discusses the future and present regional challenges of southern Europe, adopting a multidisciplinary perspective concerning planning, regional development, the role of innovation and sustainability of cities. It offers as such an insight into the current status quo of regional development and territorial dynamics of a region of growing world-interest. Southern Europe has significantly changed over the last decades. At a regional level, key issues such as local and regional governance, sustainability, and preservation of heritage have presided as prime directives within the umbrella of the European Union. The recession had devastating consequences on the perception and the economies of southern Europe. However, the resilience and capacity of southern Europe to reinvent itself have been shown over the last decade. Southern Europe has since antiquity been a cradle of invention, innovation, and regional development, that under adequate and visionary governance may bring a growing engine towards sustainability.

`Europe is sometimes credited with a `polis,' but not a `demos'. Political integration and economic globalisation cannot diminish local identity and social memories. This fascinating collection of national case studies shows why there will always be a local `demos' located in ecology, economy, and society. But there will never be a transnational `demos', precisely because locality is the basis for meaningful sustainability. Long may it triumph.' Tim O'Riordan, CSERGE, University of East Anglia 'The book offers a refreshing perspective on the diversity of Europe and at the same time, on the interdependence of the policies, economies, and societies of European countries. Going beyond the dichotomies of `good and bad' and `leaders and laggards' in environmental matters, the authors contribute to a different understanding of the North-South divide in the process of European integration.' Angela Liberatore, European Commission, Directorate General for Research `This is a self-consciously revisionist volume, whose findings are theoretically significant, policy-relevant, and timely. Its insistence on `bringing society back in,' its debunking of the notion of a `Mediterranean syndrome,' its emphasis on developmental `leapfrogging' capacity of late-comers to emerge as leaders in contexts of late modernity, and its systematic attempt to reconceptualize the politics of Europeanization should be carefully listed to students and policy-makers concerned with collective action, Southern Europe, European integration, and environmental politics.' P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, University of Athens

This second edition of the book Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe integrates the scientific results and expertise of the researchers from the countries in Southeastern Europe. The book consists of updated information for the topics observed in first edition and several new chapters with analysis of some problems in the mountain regions of four new for the edition countries in Southeastern European space. The general themes in the book are related to Global problems and mountain regions; Nature resources and landuse in mountain regions; Social, economic and regional problems of mountain regions; Nature protection, conservation and monitoring and Networks and strategies for mountain regions. The key topics for discussion are: Natural recourses and land use in mountain regions. Sustainable social and economic development of the mountain regions. Natural disasters and risk prevention. Spatial modeling and planning. Nature protection, monitoring and conservation. Politics and sustainable practices for development of mountain regions. Transborder and regional cooperation. Mountain regions in Southeastern Europe are characterized by unique landscape and biological diversity and great economic potential. They have function as a living space and provide different groups of ecosystem and landscape services. In social and economic aspects these regions are one of the poorest in Southeastern European countries with unused potential. Human, ecological and economic problems arising in various mountain regions have the same basic characteristics irrespective of the country. Some mountain regions are subject to specific for the conditions of the mountain and country policy for planning, development and mountain population promotion. The general goal is development of whole economy and the efficient management of natural resources and prevention of natural and tec hnological disasters. The mountain regions are one of the most threatened landscape systems in Southeastern Europe. Understanding the importance of the mountain regions and conservation of the natural heritage require scientific and institutional cooperation at all levels.

The Institutional Capacity Building Plan is the first of three components in the Regional Programme for Cultural and Natural Heritage in South East Europe that was launched in 2003. As part of this plan, a "translational theme-based debate" was held, the structure of which was based on an assessment of requests from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and Kosovo. The results of this debate have been published across three volumes in the European Heritage series. The first volume concerned current heritage policies and legislation; the second covered the tools for integrated management of cultural and natural heritage, in the broad sense of the term (the concept of "cultural environment"). This third volume examines how the enhancement of cultural and natural heritage can contribute to the implementation of sustainable development projects. The participants' reports and presentations on European best practices should inspire institutions to define rules and guidelines for structuring their national heritage policies so that they can also contribute to regional and local development strategies.

The Mediterranean coastal regions of Southern Europe have long been world leaders in mass tourism. This book examines some key questions for tourism development in these areas, with implications for similar regions across the world. The standardised forms of mass tourism are diversifying – with more specialised forms, notably those based on nature, culture and heritage, and those catering for special interests. There is a growing spectrum of modes of tourism, with an emphasis on variety, flexibility and permeability. Both mass tourism and the more diversified forms substantially impact on sustainable development. Policies promoting sustainable development are often of two main types: developing smaller-scale, alternative tourism products that are intended to be less damaging to the environment and society, and secondly, attempts to make mass tourism coastal resorts more sustainable. But there has been little critical assessment of these policies, either evaluating their basic assumptions or their successes and failures in practice. This edited book critically examines these issues for varied coastal regions in Southern Europe, including case studies from Spain, Croatia, Turkey, and north and south Cyprus.

Creative Tourism and Sustainable Territories: Insights from Southern Europe examines the growth and development of this emerging and fast developing area of tourism practice, while assessing it’s impacts on sustainability and regional development.

This edited volume considers the ways in which European states and the European Union can and should organize themselves economically and socially in order to address the challenges of sustainable development. It will interest students and researchers of environmental policy and European politics.