Developed essentially in the context of American cities, the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) model has also occupied the literature regarding European cities, especially those with long developed urban rail systems. This paper provides a critical overview of the TOD model regarding three main topics: key features and typologies; benefits, drawbacks and implementation challenges; and readiness criteria. It then proceeds to an investigation of the potential for implementing the TOD model in the context of Southern European cities, traditionally considered to fall into typical compact forms of development, many of which also lack integrated urban and transport planning. Based on the case of Thessaloniki, Greece, which introduces urban rail by constructing a metro system, a typology is proposed, adapted to the case of a dense and mixed-use city, and two pilot TOD plans are presented. The paper highlights that an integrated urban and transport planning based on a modification of the TOD model could be implemented in Southern European cities, taking advantage of their compact and mixed-use features but also constraining the relatively recent phenomenon of suburban dispersion. Nevertheless, overcoming the multiple institutional and financing barriers is necessary to guarantee a successful transfer and adaptation of the TOD model.

The improvement of the urban microclimate in the densely-built central areas of Mediterranean cities should be a key objective of integrated urban and transport planning and design in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals on energy, sustainable cities, and climate action. The urban climate of cities in warm regions, already burdened by the urban heat island effect, is expected to worsen further due to the global climate crisis. This study investigates the performance of common environmental street design strategies on microclimate, thermal comfort, and air quality under extreme heat conditions in the Mediterranean city of Thessaloniki, Greece. A typology of streets was selected using criteria such as road functional classification and orientation, land uses, building height/street width ratio, the sky view factor, and the continuity/discontinuity of buildings. A conservative scenario (use of cool/photocatalytic and porous materials for sidewalks, lighter pavements, additional tree planting, installations of green roofs) and a radical scenario (pedestrianization and total traffic prohibition) of environmental design interventions were simulated using the ENVI-met 5.1 software. The research findings demonstrated that the car-free interventions combined with the use of environmentally friendly materials in the public realm could significantly reduce the heat island effect and mitigate gaseous pollutants. The perceived air temperature (Physiological Equivalent Temperature—PET index) can decrease by up to 15 °C in well-shaded locations and near building corners, while nitrogen oxides can be reduced by up to 87% when considering a more radical pedestrianization scenario. The standardization of environmental interventions following a typology of urban streets could support planners and decision-makers in detecting the appropriate solutions for improving the urban microclimate.

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is an integrated urban and transport planning approach that aims to mitigate urban sprawl and car use, enhance neighborhood livability, increase public transport use, and promote sustainable mobility. Although TOD is widely accepted by academics, planners, and policymakers, the question of how citizens acknowledge its expected benefits remains open. This paper explores citizen satisfaction and perceptions of their neighborhood and investigates their awareness of TOD’s potential for sustainable revitalization and regeneration of metro areas in Thessaloniki, a compact Mediterranean city that is introducing a new urban rail system. Our research is based on a questionnaire survey, conducted within the catchment areas of two future metro stations, which present different spatial and socio-economic characteristics. For the data analysis, we use inferential statistics analysis and ordinal logistics regression to investigate the variations in citizens’ perceptions. Findings reveal that even if there is a statistical difference between people’s perceptions regarding the main spatial features of their neighborhoods, respondents in both areas express similar major concerns about public space, walkability issues, transit quality, and the positive effects that the metro could offer regarding urban revitalization and development. Furthermore, age, income, and personal travel behaviors appear to be significantly related to the level of satisfaction with public transport and the willingness to increase transit use because of the metro. We argue that citizens’ pre-construction surveys can support local policy makers in tailing and optimizing a TOD project implementation based on the community’s needs and priorities. Such surveys operate as knowledge production platforms to strengthen policy efficiency and reinforce the feelings of trust between citizens and local policy makers.

This research underlines the importance of mobility management tools and small-scale targeted interventions of public space upgrades in order to encourage conscious sustainable mobility behaviour. The paper reviews tools and tactics of soft transport policy measures, as well as of small-scale and low-cost public space design approaches and strategies in the USA and Europe to assess their characteristics and results. It will then focus on Thessaloniki (Greece) presenting 1) the main findings of a trip survey concerning the impact of the economic crisis on mobility behaviour and 2) the shift to low-cost street scale urban design projects which have emerged during the crisis. The paper states that quality public space and urban transport constitute conditions necessary to attain long-term change in mobility behaviour. While the importance of hard transport policy measures should not be underestimated, the strategy for achieving sustainable urban mobility and public space design adapted to the economic crisis-specific conditions is discussed.

The focus of experiential tourism is for the consumer or visitor to experience the tourist destination and to actively interact with local people, cultures, and the place itself. In fact, it can be seen as a form of tourism that builds upon place identities, both tangible and intangible, by energetically introducing the visitor to the culture, history, nature, traditions, cuisine, and social life of a place. In doing so, the emotional, physical, or spiritual experience of the consumer becomes a dynamic source of place branding. The paper investigates the main features of experiential tourism in the Greek regions of Central Macedonia, and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, and discusses their interactions with place identity. Our methodology consists of a qualitative survey based on semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and a thematic analysis to trace the main features of the experiential product and enterprises that develop such products. The paper concludes that experiential tourism in Greece bears many of the features highlighted in the literature. Furthermore, our findings underline some new aspects, especially the links between the experiential product, small and well-qualified enterprises, and a place’s tangible and intangible identities, which make experiential tourism an opportunity for locales and their branding.

The parameters that affect bicyclists’ satisfaction are of vital importance when it comes to determining the reasons that endure bicycle usage in an urban environment. This research refers to the factors that affect bicycle users’ satisfaction with the existing infrastructure in the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece. Bicycle dependence in Thessaloniki is relatively limited when it is compared to other European cities with similar topological and demographic characteristics. This article aims to determine the most suitable measures that policymakers should implement to enhance bicycle infrastructure. The data collection process was realized through an online questionnaire survey addressed to the bicycle organizations and groups that are situated in Thessaloniki. Inferential statistical analysis investigated the dependency between the perceived satisfaction and the perceived level of safety of cyclists. Ordinal and multinomial logistic regressions were applied to identify the significant problems that influenced cyclists’ satisfaction, as well as the most important improvement measures suggested by the survey participants. The findings revealed that the lack of safety and urban integration of bicycle infrastructures were the statistically significant issues affecting users’ satisfaction. The development of a safe, integrated, and interconnected bicycle network area emerges as a priority to increase cyclists’ satisfaction and daily bicycle trips in cities with low bicycle culture.