English to Greek Social Sciences Environment & Ecology

The Planning Inclusion of Clients through e-Training –PICT- project was a three-year pilot project co-funded by the Leonardo da Vinci Programme of the European Commission between 2002 and 2005. The project was inspired by the on-going debate about the relationship of people with their cities launched by the initial Charter of Athens (1934) and re-defined by the New Charter of Athens adopted by ECTP (2003); and responded also to viewpoint that the involvement of communities in public decisions builds social capital and strengthens the civil society. The continuing debate on the participation of the public in official decisions is reflected on European policy, as expressed in the European Spatial Development Plan (ESDP), Local Agenda 21 and the Sustainable Development Framework of Gothenburg. Consequently, it has been widely accepted, at least in principle, in the European Union, that town planning and urban design are part of the sustainable development process and as such require consensus building through the engagement of citizens