OPINION

Time for mayor to go green

Before the last local elections in October 2006, Athens Mayor-elect Nikitas Kaklamanis had made a promise to find sponsors to fund the demolition of entire blocks in the city in order to make room for more green spaces in the capital. So far, he has not made good on his promises even though there is at least one spot that would be an ideal place to make a start. The drab building on Mitropoleos Street, just above Monastiraki Square, where the Education Ministry used to be housed is the perfect place to launch the initiative. The mayor can convince the owners of the building, which in this case is the Church of Greece, to fund a project that can make a positive difference to the lives of many Athenians and which will also enhance the image of an area that is a major tourist draw, or it can offer the Church compensation with other property. The building would not be missed, and the park that would replace it could even be named after the attractive post-Byzantine church that stands adjacent and which is drowning in a sea of cement.

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