Land reclamation: Landscape principals conceming infrastructures in Greece

Abstract

A number of infrastructure projects are on progress ail around Greece at the moment. The common propose of these a project is the promotion of quality in: Design, construction and maintenance stages. They also comply with environmental management, which is, a method of organizing and implementing environmental protection measures. The paper includes by special reference on two important modem transport infrastructure projects for the development of Greece and its communication with Europe and the Balkans. Their landscape types and natural vegetation, local climate, geological conditions, altitudes, aspects and soil types vary As a result, upland landscapes in particular, are endangered. Due to the complex of nature of this environment, the development and the landscape design of the projects is a high challenging task. Wherever the nature of the projects requires intervention to the environment, they intend to follow the direct restoration of landscape and method for ecological balance. The implementation of landscape design of infrastructure projects, aims at restoring the landscape affected by construction works incorporating transport works into the landscape, emphasizing on areas of particular interest (e.g. archaeological sites), while at the same time observing the principles of an efficient operation and safe use of the alignment. Landscape design provides, among others for the protection of slopes against surface erosion and the reinforcement of their stability, the improvement of road functionality, the aesthetic improvement of the landscape, adaptation of the road landscape to the greater environment visual guidance of the user, screening of light of the vehicles moving in the opposite direction, the protection against wind etc. The landscape design strategy and landscape applications are specified by special landscape guidelines and specifications that can he considered as part of the sustainable development of a alignment creating a high a esthetic scenery, ensuring the security of transportation and the environmental protection.