Cultural centers just small oases in concrete jungle of Athens
With very few exceptions, Athens has by no means experienced the so-called “Bilbao phenomenon,” which occurred in the Spanish city; namely a domino effect of changes that would improve the urban environment around its museums and large cultural sites. Since 2004, Athens has multiplied its cultural infrastructure: the Acropolis Museum, Benaki Museum Piraeus St Annex, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Onassis Cultural Center, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Goulandris Museum, NEON in the former Public Tobacco Factory, and the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation. However, the expectation that the concrete jungle that is the Greek capital would undergo an urban transformation, triggered by cultural infrastructure, has never materialized, to the disappointment of architects, town planners and lovers of city aesthetics in general. There are many reasons, not least of which is the fact that occupants of the surrounding buildings are not always mobilized to harmonize with the new spirit of the area, while the cultural infrastructure itself often serves as a castle, ignoring its urban surroundings. [Nikos Kokkalias]
