ATHENS – The conference titled ‘The Landscape of Siphnos, Contemporary Threats and Prospects’ held all day June 3 in the amphitheater of the Eugenides Foundation south of Athens was focused on that island near the center of the Aegean Sea, but the challenges and opportunities described by the distinguished panel apply to every Greek island, especially those in the midst or on the verge of overtourism.

The main goal of the organizers, the Foundation, the School of Architecture and Engineering of the National Metsovian Polytechnic, and the architecture and engineering departments of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT) is “the preservation of the uniqueness of Siphnos’ urban and environmental character in the future.”

Urban Planner Monika Themou welcomed the participants as well as Siphnos’ Mayor Maria Nadali and Leonidas Demetriades-Eugenides, President of the Foundation. Both thanked all and spotlighted the crucial issues.

The tone throughout the conference was a blend of alarm –  “if we don’t take measures immediately, we may lose these beautiful places,” Themou said – and optimism based on the power of existing tools… if all parties cooperate.

The gathering was not a mere exercise in idealism or ‘the ideal.’ The morning speakers stressed the importance of striking a balance between the wish to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the island and the need for economic development.

Rena Klambatsea, Dean of the Architectural School of the Polytechnic, noted that in the past, some saw planning as an obstacle to development but now it is necessary as the only way to do justice both to the modern and the traditional.

Strategic planning is crucial for the infrastructure issues like roads, and land and water use, and she stressed the importance of the need to get the interaction of the science and the political right – several speakers noted the importance of consciousness-raising and public information campaigns.

Evgenides, who is from Siphnos, said that “we are at the last moment before we reach irreversible consequences, and we accept responsibility… for the need to implement sustainable practices,” and hoping “the conference will lead to a road map… a realistic approach,” thoughts echoed by Mayor Nadali. She emphasized the balance she aims to strike between saving the Siphnos everyone loves and economic development “which no one is opposed to…  since everyone wants our young people to stay or return.”

Manolis Koutoulakis, General Secretary of Aegean and Island Policy, agreed, hoping that stakeholders will cooperate in the planning, and most importantly, the implementation of measures – public officials, business owners, scientists and scholars, and especially local associations, residents, and visitors to the islands, Greece’s endangered national treasures.

During the introduction, Alkmini Paka, Professor of Architecture at AUT, who has roots in Siphnos, strongly emphasized the need for dialogue and cooperation to insure that proper policies are designed to begin with and that they are actually implemented – and sustainable in the long run. “We are in the last moment and the pressures on places like Siphnos are very great,” she said.

The first session, ‘The Natural Environment of Siphnos’ was moderated by Hariklia Hari, architectural engineer, and featured presentations by environmentalists Katerina Kanakari and Anastaios Dimlexis, forest expert Dimitris Ntinokas, and environmental engineer and hydrologist Sergios Lagogiannis.

Their presentations spotlighted Siphnos’ beloved natural and human-made environment, like the farming terraces built through the titanic efforts, noted by Dr. Kanakaris, “of the local population going back millennia… which have been affected, even destroyed by the dramatic changes of the past 14 years.”

She said of them: “I didn’t know much about these constructions, but when I saw them I fell in love with them” – the age-old and modern stonework that feel like a net cast across the whole island that draws the residents and visitors into its embrace.

Dimalexis and Ntinokas spoke of the flora and fauna and were among those stressing that sources and uses of water are a critical issue on the island – Siphnos being in the middle range of the water-challenged islands. Speakers addressed the water supply, irrigation and other uses – including the notorious excess of swimming pools – competing for the precious substance. It is interesting to note that some suggest a return to traditional means of controlling water like cisterns to collect rainwater and small dams to regulate distribution… in addition to high tech methods.

On the historic front, Konstantinos Moraitis presented ‘Eulogy for the Maritime Aegean Culture’. He noted Siphnos is at the heart of one of the most remarkable cultural areas in world history –  describing the Aegean as a whole as a prime example of ‘dispersed urbanity’ – the islands forming a unified floating cultural center or city.

The three additional sessions were titled ‘Insularity and Cultural Heritage,’ ‘Landscape and Threats,’ and ‘Looking to the Future.’