Death and life of urban diversity in Athens

Abstract

Since the 2000s onwards, processes related to gentrification have been unfolding in neighbourhoods of Athens, causing intense restructuring and changes in the social and spatial content of these areas. Researchers of the phenomenon claim that, at least until recently, these forms of gentrification received a punctual and limited character. This is attributed to the structural characteristics of the city as they were shaped and reproduced mainly by the housing and land ownership system and the social and functional diversity of Athens, which did not allow for gentrification intensity and spread.

Changes in the urban environment of Athens in recent years highlight a new socio- spatial reality like those of central cities that have undergone gentrification. The crisis redefined the character of the city through policies and processes that have influenced land uses, functions, patterns of homeownership and access to housing and overall access to urban resources and services. Recent trends heralded by uneven processes of capital-led restructuring, change the image of the city in buildings and land uses with a particular dynamic driven by private initiative, mainly the real estate sector, public policy and international and local forces in tourism industry. Indication of such change is the creation of a quasi ‘theme park’ with a large geographical spread in central areas, consisting of consumer, tourism and leisure facilities. In this context, the ongoing transformation of the city affects the daily lives of residents and local businesses. The crisis in housing along with changes in the characteristic multifunctionality of the city resulting from a pattern of mix land uses and economic activities; the expansion of tourism and leisure in large parts of traditional commercial areas and neighborhoods where, together with housing, small commercial activity predominates, result in the direct or indirect displacement of residents, users and uses.

The proposal aims at identifying current trajectories of gentrification by analyzing the local specificities about the actual forms and nature of the phenomenon, through contemporary transformations and changes in the character of the city in relation to the local economy, the housing market and public policy, vis-à-vis the uneven development of global gentrification.