The paper is a first attempt to consider the changes in the urban and regional territorial organisation, and at the same time the spatial policies in Greece, over the last decades and, especially, after 1980. The first section, following an examination of the developments in crucial economic sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and tourism, evaluates the economic and demographic trends at various geographical levels, and the impacts on spatial structures and the environment.
The second section concentrates on policies, and particularly on the process of urban and regional planning and land use. The analysis is focussed on the preconditions for the constitution of the above framework of regulations, on the attempts of reform, and on the main territorial problems that emerge in relation with the new geography of production. The focus is also oriented on the current tendencies of deregulation of the preexisting (and weak) framework of spatial intervention of the State.
Lastly, the paper discusses some hypotheses regarding the repercussions of the European unification, on the organisation of the Greek space and on the Greek spatial policies.
