The scope of the thesis was to develop a value-centered strategy plan with a cohesive long-term perspective for smart sustainable and inclusive growth of the coherent Mastorochoria area. This area has attracted a wide range of projects and programs regarding rural development focusing on partial not future-oriented solutions. The lack of comprehensive understanding of the area and of strategic coordination of the values is an obstacle for the progress towards sustainable development. The MaNet Project by applying holistic comprehensive approach aims at bringing back to life the whole ‘body’ of the area and not just separate ‘joints’ of it.

First, the Mastorochoria physiognomy has been revealed by conducting a place-based multidisciplinary and multidimensional analysis, which gave a profound profile of the area, as it encompasses all the aspects and reflects the variety of tangible and intangible assets. This approach has been chosen to understand the past of the significant legacy of the Mastorochoria craftsmanship and to decode its impact on the nowadays perception of the local knowledge as an indispensable component of territorial intelligence. The MaNet analysis gave the identification of the values from the universal to the local level. The values of the unique legacy of craftsmanship reveal the potential to create new values despite the dereliction of tangible heritage and threatening depletion of the intangible heritage. The analysis showed, that the values are often in conflicts on synchronic, diachronic, local and/or supra-local levels. Based on the recent theories MaNet found the solution in form of coexistence and synergies of the values, since all the values consider assets. Only by applying this approach the potentialities and the dynamic of the territory can be understood and adequately assessed. The mentioned dynamic originates from cultural capital, which with slow pace of time became regional intelligence. This regional intelligence is posed as a skeleton all actions can be attached to. Based on local knowledge, the fundamental three traits – crafts, itineraries, appropriation of nature – are hubs that create a framework for identification of potentialities, which give a basis for developing Strategic Plan. Taking into consideration the character of the project, the very origin philosophy of ‘strategy’, and synthesis of interlinked values, a tailor-made holistic and cohesive tool for implementing actions and projects was developed. The prerequisites for the strategy are the latest trends and scopes of the Hellenic and European strategic politics. The rather classic analysis of external environment, benchmarking, HR policies are combined with more innovative approaches like research agenda, quality & sustainability assurance, risk assessment, forecasting, monitoring and control mechanisms. All approaches are applied under consideration of networks and networking possibilities. The MaNet strategic tool is applicable for the selection, evaluation, implementation and monitoring projects in a holistic and comprehensive way. Thus, MaNet simultaneously designs hierarchies and priorities for future subprojects in order to ‘mediate between theory and practice’ (Ganiatsas 2011b). A synthesis of five criteria was developed with aim to encourage future projects to implement the strategic guidelines of MaNet not mechanically, but innovatively and creatively.

The philosophy of MaNet Strategic Plan based on the objectives defined according to 3 axes, which are preservation, promotion and management of cultural and landscape heritage of the territory; economic regeneration through the integration of time-honored practices and innovative techniques; societal involvement and versatile networking, foresees fostering the creation of added value of the area and increase of its competitiveness. The added value represents the formula 1+1 >2. As a result, all projects and actions within MaNet convert the cumulative effect into perpetual synthesis of infinite potentialities of the area.