Special session:

FORESTRY AND FOREST-BASED WOOD PRODUCTS: DISCUSSING THEIR ROLE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE NEUTRALITY AT LOCAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL SCALE

Organized by:
University of Thessaly
Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and Desing

gntalos@uth.gr

Abstract and Topics

Forests have long played an extremely important role in our economy and society, as they help create jobs and are a source of wood, food, medicines, materials, clean water, and many other goods. For centuries, forests have been a thriving source of cultural heritage and construction, tradition, and innovation, with wood serving as a cornerstone of these activities.

However, as important as forests—and the wood they provide-have been in the past, their role will be even more essential for our future. Forests are a natural ally in adapting to and combating climate change and will play a vital role in making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Greenhouse gas emissions and removals from forests, as well as forest products like wood, will play a key role in achieving the ambitious net sink target of -310 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent for the Union. Forests and their wood-based resources also make an important contribution to our ambitious biodiversity targets, safeguard livelihoods in rural areas and beyond, and support a sustainable forest bio-economy based on the most sustainable forest management practices. This is underpinned by a recognized and internationally accepted dynamic concept of sustainable forest management, which considers multifunctionality, forest diversity, and the three interdependent pillars of sustainability.

Furthermore, given the increasing and sometimes competing demands on forests, we also need to ensure that the amount of wood we use remains within the limits of sustainability and is used optimally, in line with the principle of cascading use and the circular economy approach. This will ensure, as far as possible, the substitution of fossil-based materials with wood and other circular products that have a long lifespan and are of greatest value for carbon storage and the circular economy. Wood, as a renewable material, plays a pivotal role in fostering a future that balances innovation with environmental responsibility.
 
The special session will focus on the role of forestry and forest-based wood products in sustainable development at local, regional and global level and more specifically at the following key topics:

  • Sustainable forest management
  • Forestry and sustainability
  • Biomass- wood for energy production
  • Sustainable development of mountainous areas
  • Circular economy in forestry and forest – based products
  • Forest bioeconomy and innovation
  • Wood technology and forest-based wood products
  • Non wood products
  • Forest based wood biomass and renewable energy.
  • Sustainable construction with wood.
  • Climate change and the role of forestry and forest based products.
  • Carbon markets and the role of forests and wood products
  • Entrepreneurial ventures in the forest value – chain
  • Biodiversity and sustainable development
  • Agroforestry
  • Urban forestry
  • Innovative and IT technologies in management of forest resources

 

 

Special session:

CULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY

powered by the Foundation for Mediterranean Studies – MeDiterrate

Coordinator:

Antonis Papagiannidis

Economia Group, Foundation for Mediterranean Studies – MeDiterrate

 

Abstract and Topics:

This special session seeks to unravel the intricate connections between cultural heritage, urban identity, and the political economy of sustainable development. It emphasizes the critical role of culture as both a resource and a framework in fostering resilient and inclusive urban environments. Cities, as complex systems of social, economic, and political interactions, provide a fertile ground for examining the interplay between cultural dynamics and the imperatives of sustainability.

The session delves into how cultural norms, historical legacies, and socio-economic transitions shape urban governance, spatial planning, and public policy. It critically examines the urbanisation processes that disrupt traditional socio-economic structures and introduce new modes of production, consumption, and social behaviour. Particular attention is given to the pressures of rural-to-urban migration, which often entails the coexistence of diverse cultural paradigms and the challenge of integrating these into a cohesive urban framework. The session also interrogates the commodification of cultural heritage within urban economies, exploring its dual potential to drive economic growth while risking homogenisation and loss of authenticity.

The political economy dimension is central to this discussion, as the session evaluates how governance models, institutional structures, and public policies influence the allocation of resources and the distribution of opportunities in urban settings. By reflecting on both historical and contemporary examples, it highlights the potential of culturally attuned strategies to address issues of inequality, social exclusion, and environmental degradation. The session positions cities as arenas where cultural identity intersects with economic imperatives, offering a roadmap for reconciling economic growth with social equity and environmental integrity.

Through this lens, the session aims to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the role of culture in shaping urban political economies, advancing a vision of cities as spaces of sustainable coexistence and dynamic cultural exchange. This perspective encourages policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to rethink the urban experience as one that is not only economically viable but also culturally enriching and socially inclusive.

Building on the above, this session’s key areas of focus are:

  • Urban Identity
  • Sustainable Governance
  • Healthy Cities
  • Tourism and Urban Economy
  • Social Cohesion
  • Rural-Urban Dynamics
  • Political Economy of Cities
  • Public Spaces
  • Cultural Resilience

 

 

 

Special session:

LANDSCAPE AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY: DISCUSSING THE NATURAL AND SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS, IN A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE MOOD

Dr. Konstantinos Moraitis

Professor Emeritus N.T.U.A.

mor@arsisarc.gr

Content:

We could not discuss and afford sustainability, place-centered sustainability in particular, outside the socio-cultural factors implied by it.

It is in this context of a combined cultural landscape that the natural and social approaches are intensively associated. Cultural landscape in urban or extra-urban formations presents the necessary coexistence, the necessary combination of both groups of influence: no natural ‘more than human’ landscape factor may exist outside the consequences of social and cultural impact. What kind of impact, what kind of influence, nevertheless? Material or immaterial, real or imaginary, positive or negative?

Is landscape interest associated with the ‘flourishing’ of positive cultural apperception, of the ‘emerald necklaces’ and green ‘park movement’ imagery, or with the terrifying aspect of a decaying natural or urban terrifying landscape? Did ‘Les Fleurs du Mal – The Flowers of Evil’ by Charles Baudelaire, blossom in the same urban landscape of the Parisian 19th century parks’ positive intervention? Conclusively: how can we critically comment on the negative social imaginary, or enforce the positive social correlation with natural peri-urban landscape and, especially, with urban public landscape?

Key Words: Cultural landscape, cultural sustainability, political sustainability, urban public space, real space social contact, virtual space guidance.

 

 

 

Special session COST ACTION 22124 ECO4ALL

within 2nd OPEN-AIR CITIES International Conference

“Local and Regional Sustainable Development and Urban Reconstruction”

Athens, February 14-16, 2025

ECO4ALL FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION THROUGH CIRCULAR ECONOMY STRATEGIES –  THE CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Carrying out sustainable development goals by 2030, especially focusing on sustainable consumption, represents a collective priority in today’s society, but significant regional differences within the EU and globally.  In this context, the transition to the circular economy (CE) brings a significant paradigm shift in modern sustainability strategies, especially in the area of consumer protection and the development of sustainable practices. ECO4ALL action responds to these challenges by encouraging regional and international cooperation to improve sustainable consumption and consumer protection, thereby contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals and creating a circular economy that serves the interests of all participants in society. ECO4ALL particularly emphasizes producer responsibility in the product design and marketing stages, thereby encouraging consumer protection through the strategies of reducing, reusing, and repairing products.

The special session will focus on circular economy (CE) strategies that can improve consumer protection, reduce environmental risks, promote resource efficiency, and alleviate inefficient use. One of the key aspects of this session will be a discussion on how the proactive role of consumers can contribute to the full circularity of the process, through inclusive participation in every step of sustainable development, and advocating for stronger regulatory frameworks that encourage circular practices. ECO4ALL thereby complements existing EU policies, which are focused on the ecological and productive aspects of the circular economy, expanding the focus on social and consumer dimensions.

The key topics of the present Session are the following:

  • The Role of Circular Economy in Achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
  • Circular Economy Strategies for Sustainable Resource Management
  • Consumer Protection through Product Lifecycle Extension through Reducing, Reusing, and Repairing
  • Circular Economy as a Tool for Sustainable Consumption
  • Enhancing Cross-border Cooperation for Circular Economy Success
  • Policy Frameworks for Regional Development and Their Impact on Circular Economy Adoption
  • The Socio-Economic Impacts of Circular Economy Practices on Consumer Rights
  • Overcoming Barriers to Circular Economy Implementation in Different Regions
  • Cross-sector Collaboration for Promoting Circular Economy in Consumer Markets
  • Education and Awareness for Sustainable Consumption

Acknowledgments

This abstract for special session is based upon work from COST Action CA22124 – ECO4ALL “EU Circular Economy Network for All: Consumer Protection through reducing, reusing, repairing”, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology – www.cost.eu).

You can find the call for abstracts here: Conference_Session_ECO4ALL

 

 

 

Special session:

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL POLICY: TRENDS, TRANSFORMATIONS AND RISING CHALLENGES

Coordinators:

Prof. Nikos Papadakis

Professor and Director of the Centre for Political Research & Documentation (KEPET), Department of Political Science of the University of Crete Member of the Scientific Board of the National Centre of Public Administration and Local Government (EKDDA)

papadakn@uoc.gr

Dr Stelios Tzagkarakis

Field Manager of the KEPET,  Dept. of Political Science of the University of Crete

Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Social Science of the Hellenic Open University

sttvaz@yahoo.gr

Abstract and Topics

Sustainable development is based on three interrelated and equally important pillars; the environmental, the economic and the social one. The environmental refers to the preservation and respect of the natural ecosystem and its functions; the economic is related to the creation of stable economic systems that ensure social justice without hindering the functioning of the free market while respecting the environment; and the social involves building a framework that promotes the well-being of the whole population with the ultimate aim of preserving social cohesion (Ekins, 2000, Burford et al 2013), while reducing social discrimination.

Social sustainability constitutes one of the main theoretical pillars of the sustainable development concept (Baker et al, 2005; Castro, 2004), although it is open to variations in its content and meaning, as there is no commonly accepted definition so far (Shirazi & Keivani, 2019). In any case, this concept refers to the need to create a society that contains all the conditions for sustainable development in terms of equality, social justice, opportunities, equal life-chances and social well-being (Nussbaum & Sen, 2002, Papadakis & Tzagkarakis 2024).

The inclusion of social sustainability in the sustainable development conceptualization is first identified in the Brundtland Report (WCED, 1987) and the Rio reports of the United Nations (UN, 1992), in which a synthesis of the ecological, economic and social dimensions of social development takes place. Hence, these three areas were called dimensions or pillars of the concept of sustainability. At the same time, these pillars are not independent of each other but are interrelated and the existence of all three is a necessary condition for forming a comprehensive content to the concept of sustainability. In any case, the concept of social sustainability is related both to environmental issues and to issues of social well-being and cohesion, while considering the contribution of the private and public sectors to the processes of achieving these objectives, i.e. improving living conditions on equal terms.

The United Nation’s (UN) most recent “Agenda 2030” for Sustainable Development (“Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”), signed in August 2015, sets 17 global strategic goals that will balance social, economic and environmental needs and commit to the effective implementation of Sustainable Development. At the same time, in the European Union, the establishment of the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2017, sets certain objective in the course of satisfying social rights, thus making a crucial step towards social sustainability (ETUI, 2021). Although European integration in social issues has not taken a comprehensive dimension, the European Pillar of Social Rights is particularly important because it includes the principles and necessary values in order to achieve social prosperity and social cohesion, thus social sustainability.

The economic crisis, the pandemic and the current energy crisis highlight the necessity of the welfare state in protecting citizens from the multidimensional economic and social risks that are being reproduced, multiplied or readjusted (Papadakis & Tzagkarakis 2024). At the international level, the socio-economic context is becoming more complex, with more interdependence and a speed of events that is constantly increasing (Schwab & Malleret, 2021), creating new challenges for achieving economic, environmental and social vulnerability. The permacrisis era (multiple crises- see Oyelere et al 2023), along with the Mega-Trends that are taking place and seem to gradually prevail (e.g. globalization, digital economy, digitalization, demographic and social changes, climate change, etc.- Eurofound, 2020: 3-4) have a clear impact on the structure of economy and labour market, industrial relations systems, and business models.

All the abovementioned highlight that the respective public policies need to be more prepared for phenomena that one might mistakenly consider rare and pose a series of news challenges for a true and actual sustainable development within momentous times (see Papadakis et al 2024).

Given the abovementioned, the key topics of the present Session are the following:

  • Sustainable development and social sustainability: Theoretical Insights and Definitional Issues
  • The role of the (active) Welfare State for Social Sustainability
  • Social Policy and Social Substantiality
  • Social sustainability challenges in Europe and Globally
  • Social Sustainability within the framework of a) the UN “Agenda 2030” for Sustainable Development and b) European Pillar of Social Rights
  • Perma-Crisis, Mega Trends and Social Sustainability
  • The (actual and potential) role of Education, LLL, Employment, Public Health and Social Care in social sustainability
  • The interrelation among social, economic and environmental sustainability.
  • Social vulnerability, socio-economic inequalities, economic and employment precarity as challenges for the actual achievement of social sustainability
  • Multiculturalism, refugee-migrant Crisis and the stake of migrants and refugees’ social inclusion  
  • Policy Learning towards social sustainability: analyzing best practices  
  • Social Sustainability, within the public policy complex.  

References

Baker, S., Kousis, M., Richardson. D. & Young, S. (2005). The politics of sustainable development. London: Routledge.

Burford, G., Hoover, E., Velasco, I., Janoušková, S., Jimenez, A., Piggot, G., Podger, D. & Harder, M. K. (2013). Bringing the “missing pillar” into sustainable development goals: Towards intersubjective values-based indicators. Sustainability, 5(7): 3035-3059.

Castro, C. J. (2004). Sustainable Development: Mainstream and Critical Perspectives. Organization & Environment, 17 (2): 195-225.

Eurofound (2020). Labour market change: Trends and policy approaches towards flexibilisation. Challenges and prospects in the EU series. Luxembourg

ETUI (2021). The 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Available at: https://www.etui.org/facts_figures/20-principles-european-pillar-social-rights

Nussbaum, M. & Sen, A. (Eds.) (2002). The Quality of Life. Oxford, New York and Aukland: Clarendon Press.

Oyelere, M., Olowookere, K., Oyelere, T., Opute, J., & Ajibade Adisa, T. (2023). The Conceptualisation of Employee Voice in Permacrisis: A UK Perspective. In Employee Voice in the Global North: Insights from Europe, North America and Australia (pp. 9-34). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Papadakis N. & Tzagkarakis St. (2024), “Evidence-based policy making towards Social Sustainability”, in the ERAZ Selected Papers of the Proceedings of the 9th International Scientific Conference entitled: Knowledge Based Sustainable Development – ERAZ 2023 (organized by the Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans). Belgrade: UdEcom Balkan, pp. 103-114. DOI: 10.31410/ERAZ.S.P.2023.103.

Papadakis N., Tzagkarakis St., Drakaki M., Dimari G. (2024), “Social sustainability, social policy and the stake of migrants and refugees’ social inclusion”, in SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, CULTURE, TRADITIONS (SDCT-Journal), Volume 4c/2024, pp. 22-33. DOI: 10.26341/issn.2241-4002-2024-4c-2-T02029.  

Schwab, K. & Malleret, T. (2021). The Great Reset. Athens: Livanis (in Greek).

Shirazi, M. R. & Keivani, R. (2019). Social sustainability discourse. A critical revisit. In: Shirazi, M. R. & Keivani, R. (eds.), Urban Social Sustainability. Theory, Policy and Practice (pp. 1-26). London and New York: Routledge.

United Nations (1992). Agenda 21, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf

World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. New York: United Nations

 

 

 

Special session:

CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN PRAXIS:  

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND GREEN INNOVATION

Coordinators:

Vassilis Bokolas

Coordinator, Scientific director of XENIOS POLIS, Neapolis University Paphos

vbokolas@xeniospolis.gr

Andrea Colantoni

Associate Professor at University of Tuscia, Department of DAFNE (Università degli Studi della Tuscia Viterbo)

colantoni@unitus.it

Abstract and Topics

In recent years, culture has been dynamically linked to the concept of sustainability. On the one hand, European Union policies relate the cultural sector to economic progress and the needs of the markets. On the other hand, the ongoing digital transformation, the demand for modern skills and the need for green innovations are broadening and enriching the field of cultural actions and developing good practices with a focus on social support and progress. In this context, universities, research institutes, museums, businesses, social bodies, etc. are looking to European funding and international cooperation to develop modern research and good practices that respond to real problems and needs.

The special session will focus on the sustainable development of cultural sector with emphasis in local, regional and urban level and more specifically at the following key topics:

  • Climate change and digital media
  • Cultural industries and social needs
  • Digital communication and learning skills in the working environment
  • Digital health and social development
  • Digital tools and vulnerable groups
  • Gender in the digital world
  • Green solutions in urban environments
  • Humanities and digital transformation
  • Local and Regional Development and Green innovation
  • Sustainability and European-funded projects
  • Urban Reconstruction and cultural sector