Greek Universities to Expand Housing, Affecting Crete
Universities on Greek islands and in regional areas are moving to expand housing for students and educators in an effort to alleviate pressure on local rental markets. The initiative could impact Kounoupidiana, a village near the Technical University of Crete that has become a popular relocation spot.
- The Technical University of Crete's current residence hall on the Kounoupidiana campus has capacity for only 78 students. - A recent agreement between the Technical University of Crete and the Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations (HCAP) aims to develop university-owned property to create low-rent student housing, a conference center, and a student center. - This development will be structured as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), a model being used for a broader €700 million national initiative to increase the number of student beds from 12,457 to 21,000. - Separately, the University of Crete will receive €95 million in financing from the European Investment Bank for a PPP project to construct 2,833 rooms for up to 4,846 students on its Heraklion and Rethymno campuses. - The housing shortage is a wider issue on the island; the Hellenic Mediterranean University offers just 296 student beds in Heraklion and 46 across its other departments in Chania, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos, and Sitia. - The student housing problem in Crete is intensified by a boom in short-term tourist rentals, which has contributed to rent increases of up to 100% in areas of Chania. - As a wider measure, the Greek government has increased the student housing allowance for those studying in regional areas to €2,000, or €2,500 for students in shared accommodation.
