Deconstructing Athens
Upgrading the dense, occasionally appalling, urban fabric of Athens with its mazes of gray, multistory concrete blocks and bare party walls standing even next to world-famous archaeological sites, is no doubt a daunting task – albeit one that is exigently called for. Developed over some 60 years, this incoherent and messy cityscape has come to be seen almost as an organic part of the Greek capital’s culture. Urban renewal projects are necessary to revitalize aesthetically neglected spaces, as are new architectural landmarks to improve on the form as well as the function of the capital. [Nikos Vatopoulos]
