The project “Cultural Masterplans” was presented at the Ministry of Culture. For the first time in Greece, fifteen cities and islands in Eastern Macedonia, Thrace, the Eastern Aegean, and Thessaloniki will acquire their own Cultural Masterplan: Ikaria, Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Limnos, Leros, Kos, Rhodes, Xanthi, Komotini, Alexandroupolis, Drama, Kavala, Soufli, and Thessaloniki.
The project was implemented with funding from the Recovery and Resilience Fund and the Ministry of Culture, through the Directorate for the Development of Contemporary Creativity. The studies were carried out by three academic institutions: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of the Aegean, and the Institute of Regional Development of Panteion University, with full academic independence and in collaboration with local communities. The total budget amounted to €592,031.08, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The Cultural Masterplans are not just a record or mapping of existing cultural activity. They are a strategic development tool that aims to integrate culture into broader regional and local planning. For perhaps the first time, scientific knowledge, creativity, and local communities come together with the goal of creating a new model of cultural development within the framework of sustainable growth. Beyond mapping the cultural field, the Masterplans seek to fully chart the cultural landscape of each region, shape an identity (brand) linking historical memory with contemporary creativity, develop strategic directions for utilizing cultural resources, connect culture with the economy to achieve sustainable local growth, strengthen social cohesion through community participation, and establish a database and proposals that will serve as a reference point for future actions, partnerships, and funding. In this way, culture is treated not only as memory and creation, but also as a catalyst for development, innovation, and outward-looking growth.
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni stated:
“With great pleasure we presented today the project implemented by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with three of our country’s academic institutions, concerning cultural masterplans that focus primarily on contemporary culture and embody the core policy we have followed since 2019: merging cultural heritage with contemporary creativity. Culture is a public social good, a tool of social cohesion, but also a tool of sustainable economic growth and outward projection. This is a project with a clear developmental focus, of strategic importance, aimed at contributing to a new model of cultural development within the framework of sustainability.”
She emphasized that, for the first time, the strengths of contemporary culture in 15 cities and islands in Eastern Macedonia, Thrace, and Thessaloniki have been mapped, offering local communities a scientific tool to highlight each place’s identity, strengthen regional cohesion, and lay the foundations for sustainable cultural development and international visibility.
Deputy Minister of Contemporary Culture, Iason Fotilas, added:
“This project consistently reflects the holistic approach outlined by Minister Lina Mendoni, which we systematically implement across all areas of the Ministry. It goes beyond simply recording and mapping the cultural landscape. In reality, we are creating and providing society with a planning tool, a database and proposals on which future actions, collaborations, and funding can be based. Here, culture is treated not only as creation and memory, but also as a driver of development.”
The project in numbers
15 Cultural Masterplans
3 Universities
50 Researchers
157 Interviews
2,250 Questionnaires
27 Participatory workshops / focus groups
4 Conferences
Next steps
To disseminate the results, four hybrid conferences (in-person and livestreamed) are scheduled:
Komotini, 7 October 2025
Lesvos, 21 October 2025
Rhodes, 4 November 2025
Thessaloniki, 11 November 2025
During these events, the Masterplans of the respective regions will be presented in detail, with the aim of continuing dialogue and ensuring active participation of local communities.
With the completion of the fifteen Cultural Masterplans, the Ministry of Culture delivers to Greece’s regions and municipalities an important tool of cultural development policy.
This project contributes to cultural sustainability, strengthens regional cohesion, and can serve as a model for strategic cultural planning across the entire country.
