From the height of Syntagma Square, the beginning of the University and the beginning of Vasilisa Sophia show us a great problem Athens. Deaf partitions, erected once around architectural monuments, will remain there forever.

Even at such a central point, in the heart of the capital, Athens reveals the deep problem of its urban structure and the absence of any aesthetic parameter, the harmony and dialogue between buildings, free spaces and life that flows effortlessly.

An aesthetic typo visible from everywhere at specific points has existed for about 60-65 years. It seems that the phenomenon does not bother. It is considered natural, endemic to urban culture.

One of the issues that would be a real godsend for Athens would be a surgical intervention in her dense tissues. In addition to the basic and necessary ones, such as new museums, infrastructure projects, restoration of monuments, etc., efforts to improve the overall image of the Greek capital are no less important.

This is a national issue. Political question. Difficult and eternal question. If you look at the photographs of Athens at the beginning of the 20th century, when the city fabric thickened, you will find that already in 1910-1920 the city went down the wrong path. Small building blocks without free space, as well as without architectural landmarks, as could be a more imposing building, a large dome, an end with a turret. The interwar generation already spoke of the suffocating situation.

Athens was built from the very beginning on the basis of the culture of small property that spread after 1955-1960. But the foundation was already laid in the 19th century, when the city was still small (and anarchic, spontaneous, unruly, ephemeral, clumsy, introverted). The neoclassical look of Athens in 1900 and inherited nostalgia for the lost city do not hide their inherent problem.

The international trend of cities requires a new aesthetic and new thinking around innovation and historical identity.

Priorities

It has been many decades since the “Athens problem” – defined by heavy traffic, minimal housing development and air pollution – was the darling of the press, especially after 1974. But the function (and functionality) of the city is not exhausted. only in these (important) matters. The debate about the future of cities for many years has included the need for a fundamental reassessment of the building stock, on the one hand, and the dialectical relationship with nature, on the other. Unfortunately, in both these directions, the Greek capital lags behind the base.

The other day I was looking around the neighborhood of the library of Hadrian, the Roman Agora, Aeris, against the backdrop of the modern city. The same in Pnik, Philopappou, Ancient Agora or Keramikos. But also in other, numerous places in the center of Athens, in a purely urban, metropolitan environment, with an echo of commercial, intellectual, tourist activity, the capital seems given over to a culture of ugliness of neoplasms, unkempt facades and unkempt public places (or private, but mostly institutions, on everyone’s mind).

But Athens does not deserve such a position. Despite the fact that now the percentage of citizens who are not indifferent to the city has increased, there are no positive standards, public discourse, and political will. For example, Lycabettus’ view of Athens summarizes the long-term progress of Greek society and the quality of political leadership over decades. The city generalizes, symbolizes, reproduces and reflects culture, public and private, a culture uneven with conflicting hierarchies. The passage of Athens in time catalyzes the myth of the beautiful city of the past. The city may have lost the historical center and the unique atmosphere of the districts, but improved living conditions, despite the failures and encroachments of leveling perception.

Trends of the time

Things have certainly changed. The city (and especially its inhabitants) has nothing to do with 1970, 1990, 2010. The international environment has changed. Athens should show reflexes. And any changes for the better must be something higher, more complex and certainly more ambitious than the renovation of old buildings, renovation of offices or the development of catering. The city must be in sync with the international sustainable development agenda, which includes aesthetics. The aesthetic renewal of Athens should be a political priority and should also be an invitation to a new generation of architects. Motivation, standards, vision.

The new direction of urban centers works both in favor of innovation and in favor of the historical physiognomy. If we look at the urban environment of Athens, we find that it lags behind in both these directions. Departure from the international scene does not amuse the tourist flow. Greek capital must formulate a new self-confidence and convince that it has the will, the human resources and the capital of ideas.