Advocacy planning during the economic crisis in neo-liberal greek citiesAdvocacy planning during the economic crisis in neo-liberal greek cities Κεφάλαιο σε Βιβλίο Book Chapter 2019-10-072018enCities are constantly changing under the influence of many parameters. Their planning has diachronically followed many different steps. The decisions that are taken during the urban programming and planning procedure include political views. But what are the challenges facing planning today? Today’s urban environments are strongly influenced by parameters of the system of competition; market forces, price mechanisms and the influence of globalization. Procedures that are taking place today in the urban space, such as production and consumption, are to a strong degree the results of neo-liberal stances. The neo-liberalism principles which serve hypercapitalism are intensified through conditions of economic crisis as local governments focus on promotion, competition and marketing, rather than place making, in central urban areas at the expense of investing in other areas or in urban issues based on social matters. What is the role of advocacy planning in these processes? As a result of neo-liberal principles, the large-scale projects focus on maximization of profits causing such phenomena as social segregation and gentrification etc. The current chapter will investigate the policies of advocacy planning in other cases where projects led by neo-liberal principles are promoted. As the Greek spatial planning system includes advocacy processes, what is the role of these processes and how do they affect Greek urban and regional status? The proposed chapter will attempt to investigate the above issues and propose ways to make participatory planning more effective against neo-liberal principles and more favourable towards sustainable environments in Greece, which are facing numerous challenges due to today’s economic crisis and attendant conditions.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Urban Book SeriesNeo-liberalism and the Architecture of the Post Professional Era Dimelli Despoina Διμελλη Δεσποινα Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com] Economic crisis Greek planning system Neo-liberalism