The debate over spatial planning highlights the need for more interdisciplinary, strategic, and collaborative methods to achieve broad policy goals such as resilience and sustainability. Risk-based planning is gaining importance due to the rising vulnerability of urban infrastructure. Incorporating disaster risk management into spatial planning requires a geographically based strategy for reducing catastrophe risk. This article outlines the role of spatial planning in the reconstruction of the Mati settlement in Attica, Greece, that was devastated by a forest fire in 2018. It presents a set of proposals that relate to the urban reorganization of the area and considers disaster risk reduction and disaster management, as well as sustainability issues relating to mobility, the management of the natural environment, and the recovery of the coastline as a public resource. The basis for this article is the contribution of the Urban Planning Research Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens/School of Architecture to the preparation of the Special Urban Plan for the fire-stricken area of Mati, Attica, on behalf of the Technical Chamber of Greece.

This study investigates the complex interplay between tourism development and spatial planning on Serifos, a Cycladic island undergoing rapid transformation under seasonal visitor pressure. Drawing from the principles of sustainable development, the paper presents an integrated analytical approach combining geospatial diagnostics, empirical indicators, and policy evaluation. Using building footprint data and short-term rental distributions, the analysis identifies spatial stress zones, development conflicts, and regulatory gaps, especially in non-designated urban areas and protected environmental zones. The findings demonstrate that over 50% of the built surface lies outside statutory boundaries, exacerbating infrastructure strain and landscape fragmentation. A composite zoning strategy and thematic interventions are proposed, culminating in a spatial framework aligned with the island’s ecological thresholds and cultural assets. The paper concludes with legal recommendations and a proposal for establishing a permanent monitoring mechanism (DMMO) to ensure adaptive and participatory governance.

This study quantitatively evaluates the relationships among selected factors and describes the spatial distribution of construction activity and tourism development on small-scale Mediterranean islands, using Serifos as a case study. It demonstrates how Geographically Weighted Regression can serve as a planning support tool for an in-depth analysis of the island, contributing to the debate on whether the current planning approach should change. A Building Pressure Index, defined as the ratio of built to unbuilt footprint within each grid cell, was calculated for 1360 grid cells. Short-term rental activity, accessibility, terrain, and statutory environmental protection were then used as explanatory variables in a Geographically Weighted Regression model to examine how their association with construction pressure varies across the island. Compared with a global Ordinary Least Squares model, the Geographically Weighted Regression model indicates that construction pressure is highest in the southeast, in coastal areas and often outside settlement limits. Short-term rental density and accessibility are the two most significant factors associated with construction pressure, whereas steep slopes, high altitudes, and location within a protected area all reduce it. Based on these results, the island can be divided into five zones, each requiring a different level of spatial-policy intervention.