SUSTAINABILITY INDEXES FOR THE PRESERVATION OF AREAS OF HISTORIC IMPORTANCE AND NATURAL BEAUTY: THE CASE OF CULTURAL ROUTES IN CHIOS ISLAND.

Eleni Oikonomopoulou1, Ekaterini T. Delegou1, John Sayas2, Antonia Moropoulou1

1 1School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9, Iroon Polytechniou str., 15773 Athens, Greece, hecone@hotmail.com,

(edelegou, amoropul)@central.ntua.gr

2School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9, Iroon Polytechniou str., 15773 Athens, Greece, isayas@mail.ntua.gr

ABSTRACT: In this study the importance of sustainability concept both as a tool and objective for the protection, preservation and promotion of rural areas rich in historic and natural content is examined. The main objective is to provide the local authorities that are responsible for the preservation of such areas with all the necessary tools and set the procedures for the management, maintenance and promotion of these areas based on the principles of sustainable development.

A case study is carried out in two routes of historic and environmental importance in Chios Island. These two routes connect important historical buildings and sites, whilst crossing significant natural resources.

The developed system for policy and decision making related to the sustainable protection and promotion of the environmental and historic assets of the two paths is based on standardization processes according to ISO 9001:2000 combined with principles from the national spatial development frameworks elaborated for Chios Island.

In particular, a Geographic Information System was used as a tool for the management and analysis of all the retrieved data, resulting in the elaboration of the thematic maps of current preservation state of the routes. Database fields and characteristic features that constituted the descriptive data of the GIS were structured based on an ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System which included the main processes of (a) management, operation and use, and (b) promotion and development, as well as procedures for the application of administration reviews by the local authorities. These ISO standardized processes defined the sustainability indicators and monitor procedures for the proper operation, maintenance and promotion of the routes. Therefore, the sustainability criteria were set and along with spatial planning principles thematic maps of new proposals for the management and promotion of the routes were elaborated. These new proposals included the development of buffer zones for the protection of the sensitive cultural and natural features of the regions under study, the development of recreational areas, the organization of additional alternative tourism activities, as well as conservation and restoration interventions.

The results from this study show that the standardization of procedures and the application of an integrated strategic plan for the sustainable protection and development of cultural routes, using a scientific methodology approach by the means of information technologies, can play a significant role in the development of the area that cultural routes are located in, at a social, economic, political and cultural level.

KEY-WORD: sustainability indicators, cultural routes, standardized procedures, database, Geographic Information System