The depopulation and the aging of the population is a typical characteristic in the mountainous areas of Greece. The prospects for the conservation and development of mountainous regions are closely connected with the stay of young people in these regions. For this reason, the teenagers are the objective of study in this paper, as they will be the future residents of the area of the Municipality of Zitsa. More specifically, this paper examines the views, the difficulties, the thoughts, the problems, the dreams, the way of life and the expectations of the students of High School, of the Municipality of Zitsa. The paper sheds light on the pupils and highlights what makes them happy in the place where they live and what their main concerns for the future are. The results are particularly interesting and important, as a policy tool to the direction of the stay and the return of young people in this mountainous area.

The operation of several poultry farms in the Municipality of Zitsa, combined with the occasional uncontrolled disposal of waste from poultry farming activity, lead to a major environmental problem in the area. In the present work the option of treatment of poultry residues, while producing energy through biogas burning is presented. After analyzing the characteristics of poultry waste, reference is made to the effects of the soil disposal of this untreated waste. Then, the process of the Anaerobic Digestion is shortly described, and the benefits of biomass utilization with this method are analyzed. The various parts of a biogas plant are also described. Furthermore, the available biomass potential of the Municipality of Zitsa is calculated, as well as the biogas that can be produced. The basic biogas plant characteristics responding to the biogas potential of Zitsa are presented and dimensioned. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis of the power plant is carried out.

The wineries of the Municipality of Zitsa, owing to their significant wine production, have to manage large volume of winery waste, mainly grape marc and wine lees. Winery waste is currently burdening wineries’ operating costs, while it could be used to produce new high added-value products through an appropriate process. In this respect, the present paper explores the feasibility and viability of a winery waste process plant at Zitsa, in order to produce grape seed oil extract, grape oil extract and polyphenols. The analysis is performed for three different capacity scenarios, drawing data from primary market surveys and secondary sources. The results indicate that the proposed plant is an attractive investment, with additional environmental and social benefits that should not be ignored.

One of the basic objectives of spatial planning is to explore the tendencies of attraction and repulsion between urban centers and their satellite settlements. In this framework, the paper examines the developing relationship of interdependence between the city of Ioannina and the settlement of Eleousa. The historical and residential evolution of the settlement has been examined, as well as the current situation regarding the demographic characteristics, the population growth, the economic activities, the employment rates and the infrastructure. Through in-situ survey with questionnaires, local sectors individuals' views were examined on issues and parameters (i.e. education, health, recreation, infrastructure, etc.) which contribute to Eleousa’s autonomy as well as its dependence upon Ioannina. The paper points out the key-parameters that determine the settlement’s level of autonomy. Despite the fact that, Eleousa is autonomous in several fields such as education, although depends on Ioannina for employment, recreation etc. It is estimated that the autonomy of the settlement can be enhanced by a long-term strategic planning that will contribute positively to local development by utilizing the natural and cultural environment of Eleousa.

The summer camping, with which the majority of Greek people are familiar from their childhood, is an experience of entertainment, play, pleasure and adventure. A creative educational process, which apart from an enjoyable learning experience, is also a reference point in the “formation” of independent, self-confident and mentally and physically healthy children. Mountain campings benefited by the particular elements of the natural and cultural environment of the mountains offer a complex space of escape especially for those children who live in the city. This paper, examines the rehabilitation and conversion of Vrosina’s abandoned camp into a summer camp, by making use of the natural beauty of the area, the forests, the rivers and the surrounding mountains. The main idea of this rehabilitation proposal is the utilization of the existing building stock and its uses. At the same time, it is examined whether the summer camp could be also used by the Hunting Associations active in this area in order for the built facilities to be fully utilized all year round and not only during the summer months. Contrary to the general public view on the hunters, an attempt is being made in order for the positive impact of their activity in the region, the development and the nature to be pointed out.

In the last few years, in Greece, the quarries that are not used anymore, is a usual picture. It is a picture of an absolutely dry area and lunar landscape, which is perimetrically surrounded not only by dense flora, which usually includes coniferous trees and bushy vegetation but also rare fauna. The absolute contradiction between the quarry area and the surrounding space is becoming understandable and observable, through the visual eyesore that is created by the whole picture. Subsequently, as long as the quarries are not used, a territorial and visual problem is created, not only for the municipality, but also for the area to which they belong and for the local community which is affected either because the local people do not work in them or because people or tourists are not attracted because this area is not developed. The problem of quarries that are unused and abandoned, can be faced through their restoration which can be realized with various ways and different methods. Except for the restoration of quarry areas, there is the possibility these areas to be developed if the people construct recreational facilities which will contain sports and cultural events. We can meet examples like this, not only internationally but also in the country’s borders as well. As far as this project is concerned, we are going to examine the quarry in Klimatia of the municipality of Zitsa in which surveys and measurements were accomplished. The possibilities, the perspectives and the ways of restoration will be analysed, based on a central keystone, on which the whole plan of the complete restoration will be constructed.

Citizen participation in public matters is a sign of a healthy and democratic local government. However, participation cannot always be effective, because of various spatial and temporal constraints. Constraints can be even more amplified in rural areas where long distances and bad quality road network can further complicate the attentiveness of citizens in public meetings. Participation through ICT (e-participation) can help to alleviate the issues of the physical presence and positively contribute in the decision-making processes of the local government. In this study, we present an app for m-participation for the municipality of Zitsa. The app has been developed according to the state-of-the-art methods and best practices, taking into consideration the special characteristics of the Zitsa municipality. Residents may use the app to report issues in their area “on the go” and, at the same time, to actively participate in the decisions through voting and commenting.

The publish of forest maps has raised a number of issues with regard to existing land uses. Areas that prove to be arable by aerial photographs of 1945/1960, today have become forest. Residents of various rural areas protest against this development and ask for the reformation of forest maps in order to be able to use the land for agriculture. The development of viticulture in the Zitsa vineyard has provided international recognition to local vine varieties and the wines of the region have been designated products of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). In this paper, the Vineyard Zone of Zitsa’s area were digitized, by the use of Geographical Information Systems, including the areas classified as forest. Unstructured interviews were conducted with professional Foresters and the ownership status was investigated in the area to identify possible declassification solutions for the forest fields.