Virual Enterprises

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TED Workshop e-Participation in Environmental
Decision Making May 19 22, 2005 Helsinki and
Conference Boat, Finland
Using E-government Services for the
Environmental Planning of Polycentric Urban
Regions
Elias A. Hadzilias IÉSEG School of Management -
Université Catholique de Lille 3 rue de la Digue,
59800 Lille, FRANCE e.hadzilias_at_ieseg.fr
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Presentation outline
The Aegean Archipelago
Polycentricity development
E-Government
Proposed organisation
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The Aegean Archipelago (A.A.)

• The Aegean Archipelago is a group of islands
  dispersed over an area of 800 km from north to
  south and 600 km from east to west.
• Being the most extensive and significant insular
  complex in Europe, it forms both the eastern
  border of Greece and the southeastern frontier of
  the European Union with Asia.
• The multitude of islands, islets and rocky islets
  comprising the Archipelago, are actually the tops
  of the Aigaiis Continent, extending between the
  Eurasian and African tectonic plates.

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From the satellite
Source - http//geodynamics.gsfc.nasa.gov/aegean/
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and a closer look
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Some statistical data about A.A.

• Population 508.702 inhabitants (2001)
• Regions 2
• Prefectures 5
• Communities 12
• Municipalities 90
• Counties 14

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Environmental planning in A.A.

• Environmental planning in 3 levels
• Environmental planning councils
  (semi-independent)
• 5 four-member councils
• 5 three-member councils
• Environmental planning units (Ministry of Aegean)
• 5 major administrative centers (four-member
  units)
• 8 minor administrative centers (two-member units)
• Local administration
• Municipalities
• Counties

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Issues in planning activities

• Difficulty of communication and coordination
• Administrative processes are highly dependent on
  physical documents (weberian bureaucracy)
• There is a human resources management issue due
  to the small size of the administrative centers
• Transportation among the islands is mostly
  supported by sea, which sometimes is problematic

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Environmental planning councils
Environmental planning units
Source - http//www.ypai.gr/
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Polycentricity

• Polycentric development offers an alternative to
  monocentric development in which one city or
  metropolitan region dominates all the others.

• The centres are linked in networks and complement
  each other functionally. Through this process
  they generate a greater critical mass than by
  operating in isolation and so increase their
  overall competitiveness.

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The concept of polycentricity

• Multiple centers in one area
• Ecumenopolis (Doxiades, 1972)
• Urban field (Friedmann Miller, 1965)

Socio-spatial conflict zone for the articulation
of multiple interests, identities and cultural
differences. Networking between stakeholders in
such an area is considered as a process by which
relationships and contacts between people and
organisations are established, nurtured and
utilised for mutual benefit.
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Patterns of polycentricity

• Intraurban
• Los Angeles, London, Paris
• Interurban
• Dutch Randstad, California, Kansai, Clydeforth
  (Edinburgh-Glasgow)

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Using e-government services

• Polycentric urban region development plan
• Topological overlay and mapping of the islands
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Design of a database including environmental,
  statistical, topographical and administration
  information
• Satellite pictures of islands and islets
• Digital map index
• Geological digital maps
• Land use and land cover models
• Connect the environmental planning administration
  units, councils and local authorities
• SYZEFXIS Network Project
• Reengineer the administration organisation

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G2G Services

• Greek public sector Intranet in the A.A.
• higher data transfer rates combined with
  considerable lower cost
• Conversion of public services telephony from
  standard to internal throughout the A.A.
• telephone calls and facsimiles between public
  organisations through internal telephony

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Advantages (1/2)

• The reduction of communication's cost
  (approximately 50) for the administration and
  improvement of data transfer rates and security.
• The effective operation of public IT T
  (information technology and telecommunications)
  systems through their functional interconnection
  and integration.
• The utilisation of alternative information
  resources.
• The avoidance of overlapping - repetitions in GIS
  databases and network installations.
• The effective management of data transfer and the
  central and distributed support of telematic
  applications.

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Advantages (2/2)

• The development of compatibility requirements for
  the administrations networking installations.
• The fast and easy search of environmental
  information by the public servants and the
  stakeholders.
• The improvement of citizen's service particularly
  in cases that require more than one ministry unit
  or council involvement with final aim the offer
  of "one-stop-shop" service.
• The development of an effective public
  administration with a modern information and
  telecommunications infrastructure and the easier
  coordination of public processes through IT T
  networking

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Side IT applications

• Electronic Document Records Management
• Flood Warning Information System
• Spatial Planning G2C System
• Enable citizens and organisations to register
  planning applications and lodge supporting
  information electronically and use the internet
  to track the progress of an application
  throughout its life cycle, across all involved
  organisations, from registration to decision.
• Special Waste Management System
• Manage toxic and non-recyclable waste to protect
  the sea and to obtain synergies among the islands

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Overcoming the 2D isolation

• Barriers
• Geographical dispersion
• Weberian organisation
• Technology

Administration Unit B
Administration Unit A
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Proposed organisation

• Integrate the environmental planning councils and
  units in the Aegean Archipelago
• Standardise and automate the administrative
  workflow
• Unite the two existing ministry departments the
  Northern Aegean and the Southern Aegean regions.
  Synergies are expected from this unification.
• Develop the infrastructure for community-based
  environmental planning
• Establish communication with the island of Creta

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Supported processes

• Strategic planning
• Policy development and research
• Statutory planning
• Development assessment control
• Environmental social impact assessment

Sustainable development
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Realising the polycentric urban region in Aegean
Archipelago
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Questions