International Ports in Medium-Sized Cities in Greece – Coexistence Problems and Planning Challenges in the Era of Smartness and Sustainability

In the current era of blue growth and smart green development, port cities are undoubtedly in international competition as key drivers of the global maritime transport and trade system. In this evolving context, port and spatial policies are challenged to reconcile global trends with the specificities of each port city in order to ensure sustainable urban development. For small and medium-sized cities in particular, the operation of a port of international importance is a complex, contradictory and challenging planning issue. On the one hand, medium-sized cities face multiple pressures from port operations due to their limited size; on the other, they cannot always support the global role of their ports, mainly due to lack of infrastructure. Under these circumstances, it is crucial to reconsider the difficulties/risks facing this specific category of cities to address critical resilience issues. Taking as case study cities with international ports in the Greek periphery, the article presents a methodology for the correlated study of their dynamics, based on spatial and development criteria examined at three basic spatio-functional units, i.e. the city, the port and the waterfront. At the same time, through a consideration of the development policies and planning practices of ports and their cities, the article seeks to highlight challenges and dilemmas at the level of spatial perspectives, reintroducing issues of urban resilience and sustainability.