Dimitra Pilichou
School of Geography and Planning
PhD Candidate
Full contact details
School of Geography and Planning
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
91直播
S3 7ND
- Profile
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Dimitra joined the Department of Geography as a postgraduate research student in 2019. She holds a Bsc in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Athens as well as a MA in Social research from the University of 91直播. Before her MA, Dimitra was working as a Sustainability Projects Assistant at the Estates and Facilities Management department of the university. From 2011 until today, Dimitra has a wide ranging experience of eco-communities and similar projects, including a six-month Erasmus internship in Sunseed Desert Technology in Spain and months of staying on location at the Free and Real, Kalikalos and Calme Garden projects in Greece.
Does living in an eco-community make you happier? - Critical evaluation of case studies from Greece as potential alternative development pathways
According to the United Nations, depression ranks first worldwide as 鈥渁 cause of years lost due to disability鈥 and by 2030 it is projected to be also the leading global burden amongst all diseases. The increasing prevalence of phenomena such as mental health conditions in nations with high GDP reinforces a wave of dissent expressed since the 1970s that criticises economic growth for not being a reliable prosperity indicator. At the same time, the imminent threat of climate change and environmental degradation had led to a growing realisation of the necessity to develop post-consumeristic values and lifestyles that will enable us to combine a high quality of life with measurably reduced resource use. Eco-communities are characterised by this kind of lifestyle and yet little is known about the experiences of happiness and life satisfaction in these spaces. The specific socioeconomic conditions of Greece, not least being the first country in the world to fall from a developed to an emerging market status while witnessing a rise in the formation of eco-communities, make for a fascinating and fertile ground for such an exploration. Through a combination of interviews, focus groups, observations and autoethnography, I have gained an insight into how happiness is understood, experienced, and sought by eco-community residents in Greece. Elements that set this lifestyle apart are also identified and their effect critically evaluated. Although they have always been niches, on the fringes, eco-communities can now be seen as experimental sites relevant to core global goals. Their well-being potential has numerous things to teach us with several implications for both policy and the wider society.
Supervisors: Prof Jenny Pickerill, Dr Sammia Poveda
- Teaching activities
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TRP487 Planning and Development Process (GTA 2024)
TRP6402 Perspectives on Urban Planning and Development (GTA 2023)
GEO6809 Managing Climate Change (GTA 2020, 2021)
TRP637 Politics, Planning and the State (GTA 2019 - 2020)
GEO6802 Research Design and Methods for Development (GTA 2019-2020)
- Professional activities and memberships
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Research Assistant
- Wellcome Anti-Ableist Research Culture (WAARC) project ( starting in 05/2024)
- Ecovillage Transition in Action project (05 鈥 07/22)
- Sociocractic Neighbourhood Circles (SONEC) EU project (11 - 12/21)
Conference Presentations
- Pilichou, D. 2024. 鈥淩ole of freedom in the experience of happiness in eco-communities鈥. Building communities for global social change conference, online, 15 January 2024
- Pilichou, D. 2023. Member of PANEL: 鈥淟iving Well, Ef Zin (E蠀 Z畏谓) and BuenVivir, A broader meaning of Good Life as opposed to contemporary western approach of well being鈥. The 13th Beyond Humanism Conference: Crises and the Posthuman 鈥 Post- Trans- and Metahumanist Reflections on Contemporary Challenges, University of the Aegean (Lesvos campus), 6 July 2023
- Pilichou, D. 2023. 鈥淒oes living in an eco-community make you happier?鈥. Alternative Futures and Popular Protests 2023 Conference, University of Manchester, 13 June 2023
- Pilichou, D. 2020. Doctoral project presentation. White Rose DTP 9th Annual Conference, online, 25 June 2020
Public Engagement & Impact
- Calme Garden focus circles series 鈥 Co-leading Bi-weekly 2-hour discussions on themes related to eco-community living (11/21 鈥 04/22
- 3rd Humanlinks festival (online 鈥 09/20)
- part of an organising volunteer team in the core group of mental health and the environment
- coordinator of panels "Human Values and Principles and their impact on the environment" and "People, Societies, Environment: "Restoring a relationship in crisis"
- presenter of "Happiness and Sustainability"
- 2nd Humanlinks festival (09/19) : 鈥淓nvironment and mental health鈥 theme day, talk title 鈥淗appiness and Eco-communities鈥 at Panteion University, Athens
Professional activities & development
- Member of the YB12 coaching team
- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
- Professional Development Award in Sustainable Development (City and Guilds)