Athens, 26/1/2021

During the last year, there has been a series of announcements by Greek Ministries and Municipalities regarding promising urban regeneration projects, at an attempt to spur growth, and develop an improved framework for investments, able to attract even more opportunities. However, most (if not all of them), seem to follow a specific pattern: Sudden announcements, reaction by local communities and professionals, project failures and – to some of them – judicial dead-ends.

The metropolitan area of Athens and the Municipality of Athens were no exception. The “Elliniko” (former airport) redevelopment, the cementing of the Acropolis pathways, the redesigning of the “Omonia” Square and the majestic failure of the “Grand Walk” project are some of the examples. In all of them, there has been a documentation of significant issues including (but not limited to) distorted governance, threatened architectural heritage, tampering with constitutional rights (i.e. accessible shoreline and public spaces) and an un-scientific exclusion for several disciplines (especially an ignorance or disregard for the role of architecture and especially architecture competitions).

One more case was recently added to the list: The recently announced by the Mayor of Athens, Mr. Bakoyannis, regeneration of the Strefi Hill (just behind NTUA – National Technical University of Athens). The Strefi park is the vegetated peak of a hill next to the more famous Lykavettus Hill and is surrounded by one of the densest yet most vibrant parts of the city centre. While everyone consents on the accumulation of severe degradation issues over years of municipal overlooking, it was the abrupt announcement that alarmed everyone. The Mayor announced an agreement with a private Real Estate company called PRODEA Investments regarding the regeneration of this public space, as a “gifted regeneration study”. In support to the proposal, a series of low-quality and poor representation renders were also published.

However, reactions amongst citizens, professionals and academics alike escalated quickly, due to several grey areas regarding the project:

1.       The project, as currently announced, lacks any scientific study that would properly document the current condition (as well as the potential) of the site within its urban and social context.

2.       The Mayor announced the deal after bypassing all mandatory committees within the Municipality, including the neighborhood councils that ought to get informed in advance and provide feedback. Even until now, the project budget has been announced, albeit only partially revealed.

3.       The Mayor also bypassed two existing Greek laws regarding the necessity for a specific Project Design procedure that includes the launch of an Architecture Competition. Architecture Competitions (national or international) are mandatory when it comes to buildings or public spaces of great importance to the history and urban condition of the city and their implementation safeguards participatory processes, the generation of a public discourse (and the selection of the best ideas/budgets) along with  transparency of decision making.

4.       The company involved (PRODEA) has an aggravated past: It is a by-product of two banks that were accused of fraudulent practices for its creation and of a third real estate company with twenty two criminal prosecutions for some of its stakeholders for the same.

5.       The Strefi Hill is a fully accessible, priceless island of green public space within an ocean of concrete. However, the Mayor and the private company announced that they intend to fence the park and provide gated and controlled access (under surveillance), converting it into an exclusive property, against all contemporary notions of inclusivity and the right to the city.

The Strefi Hill project seems to follow the pattern aforementioned. Moreover, this pattern could persevere for as long as the political system – together with local governance – keep neglecting the big picture: the dynamic, multi-disciplinary and multi-scaled, scientifically founded planning/design processes and all overarching values that affect our cities, as globally acknowledged at the recent New Urban Agenda of UN Habitat III.

However, while one emerging issue is the one of a hollow urban governance, lack of democracy and transparency with political (the Mayor of Athens happens to be the nephew of the Greek Prime Minister) and fiscal (especially regarding the use of the taxation generated Municipal budget) implications, there are several others of equal importance.

During the last 20 years there has been an intensifying tug-o-war between engineering disciplines on securing additional professional rights on both private and public projects. Unfortunately, the politically biased Technical Chamber of Greece and the Ministries of Education, Environment and Public Works have been producing an ever-shrinking map of professional rights for the professional practice of Architecture. The most recent addition was the legal validation of the Presidential Decree No99/2018, with which Civil Engineers are now eligible in signing off every kind of an Architectural Design study for building permits and public projects, in complete contradiction to the existing EU Directives, the UIA Declarations and even the Greek Constitution. The consequences of this decision are neither yet properly analyzed nor fully understood.

Architecture Competitions are one of the most valuable tools of protecting the public interest, upholding the qualities of the built environment and promoting scientifically sound, transparent, multi-disciplinary approaches at the design of our living spaces, both private and public. Unfortunately, they have been demonized by the vast majority of local authorities that choose to by-pass their obligatory nature through legal tricks, an issue compounded by the lack of reaction from the related Societies.

The patterns described at the beginning of this letter regarding the announcement of numerous recent regeneration projects (especially in Athens) share this parameter as well.

Therefore, this is a call to all Societies, Unions, Institutions, Consortiums, State Authorities and apparently individuals that are interested in insuring notions and rights related to the inclusive character of public spaces, social justice and democracy, to react against the latest developments and condemn such behavior.

With kind regards,

Antonios Tsiligiannis, Urban Designer, Senior Construction Engineer at the Brussels Metropolitan Transport Authority, Belgium

Apostolos Kyriazis, PhD Architect, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Abu Dhabi University, UAE

Ares Kalandides, Professor of Place Management, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and Director of the Institute of Place Management

Constantinos Alexacos, Architect, AA Dipl RIBA Part II

Dimitris Ioannou, PhD Architect - Urban Planner, NTUA

Theodoros Dounas, PhD Architect, Learning Excellence Leader, The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, Robert Gordon University, Scotland, UK