18th INURA conference 3-10 October 2008, Field Trip 5 : Western neighbourhoods of Athens Saturday 4 – 10- 2008

Presentation of the municipality of (Menidi)

N.M.Georgakopoulos: Civil Engineer - Head of planning department of Acharnes

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MUNICIPALITY

The Municipality Of Acharnes is located in the northern part of the metropolitan area of Athens. Administratively, it belongs to the Prefecture of Eastern . The Northern part of the region of the Municipality is occupied by the mass of Mount Parnes () and the southern part by the domestic mass of the city. It is the biggest Municipality in Attica with a total area of 15.000 hectares from which 4.000 are build-up areas.

The location of the Municipality in the Metropolitan area of Athens, its relation with Mount Parnes (Parnitha), the historical procedures of the organization of the urban mass and the current tendencies of development, constitute its identity. This identity includes contradictory significances that express problems and prospects, at the same time.

The Municipality of Acharnes constitutes a point of reference for Mount Parnes (Parnitha) where there are important areas of particularly natural beauty and of great ecological significance and have a decisive role for the totality of the population of Attica. However, in the area of the Municipality are situated 22 uses of supralocal importance (airports, military fields, gas pipes, installations of water and power supply) most often inside the urban area and mostly incompatible with the developing prospects of the city.

Particularly, in the Municipality of Acharnes is situated the Olympic Village, one of the Olympic media villages and a number of important new transport infrastructure, such as “Attica Highway (the new peripheral road of Athens)”, the Railroad Interchange (SKA) and the suburban railway, etc. At the same time, a question of social cohesion is placed, which results from the existence of different groups of population (gypsies, ex-soviet Greeks, economic immigrants etc.) with different practices of exploitation/ use of the territory and organization of everyday life.

It is obvious that apart from the serious metropolitan and regional problems that are present in the territory of the Municipality, there are at the same time prospects aiming at a viable development.

HUMAN RESOURCES - ECONOMIC BASE

DEMOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS

According to the results of the general census of the population, the inhabitants amounted to 61.350 in the year 1991 and 79.000 in the year 2001. The picture that the Municipality presents since 1960 and forth regarding the population is particularly dynamic. Especially, during the decade 1961 – 1971, the increase of population amounted to 70,1%, when the correspondent percentages for the country were 4,5 % and for the rest of Attica 25,5 %. It is remarkable that the increase of population in the Municipality of Acharnes continues until today with significant paces because of the settlement of important number of New Greek refugees from the former Soviet Union, from Northern Epirus (Southern Albania) and a big number of economic immigrants coming from the Countries of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Further more the public works for the Athens Olympic Games of 2004, together with the constant urban development, have attracted more population, for example the Olympic Village contributed with more than 10.000 new inhabitants in the area.

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SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POPULATION

The municipality of Acharnes receives population from low mainly economic layer and as it was referred, this municipality was and still is the centre of a great migratory current. The cohabitation of different groups is a decisive factor for the social development in the area.

EMPLOYMENT – UNEMPLOYMENT

The economically active population during the last two decades of 20th century was increased more than the rest of Attica. The increase of counted unemployment reaches high levels due to the general crisis of the markets and the incapacity to offer new posts of employment. Women are facing bigger problems and difficulties. With the influx of refugees and migrants, the unemployment presents explosively increasing tendencies with direct consequences in the social behavior of the inhabitants.

SECTORS OF EMPLOYMENT – ECONOMICAL BASE

The productive structure of the Municipality is based on the Industry – manufacture. Primary sector is limited and tends to abandonment while the activities of the tertiary sector are limited in the service of local needs of the industry.

Municipality of Acharnes constitutes one of the poles of the secondary production factor and similar uses in the Metropolitan area of Athens (wholesale trade, storage areas, exhibition areas etc.). The high concentration of the manufacturing units is due to its favorable geographical position within Attica and the proximity to the national road network giving possibilities of immediate access to other areas of Attika as well as the rest of the country.

The bigger part of the active population works in the manufacturing units. Though, despite the extended installation of manufacturing enterprises in the area, these units are by rule of small and intermediate size and of poor technological equipment.

The manufacturing units constitute the most dynamic productive department of Municipality, creating though dysfunctions due to their scattered arrangement in the interior of built-up mast. The commercial activities and the activities of benefit of services are assembled in the heart of Municipality in the city’s unique centre.

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURES - CULTURE

An important number of historical sites and monuments are situated in the municipality of Acharnai, such as Sophocles Grave, Tholos Grave, Byzantine Monuments, churches and monasteries on Mount Parnes, Adriano Aqueduct etc.

There is also rich tradition of local customs and folklore and a very active Intellectual center with permanent cultural activities and organizations of events during the religious festivities. The Municipal Developmental Enterprise has a dynamic presence in cultural activities, such as: Municipal Conservatory, which is a full-functioning musical school of various instruments (piano, violin, guitar, flute etc.) and a choir, School of traditional Greek instruments (bouzouki, baglamas, tzouras, clarinet, lute etc.), Municipal band, School of Classical Ballet, Arts workshops: drawing,

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sacred painting and ceramics department, Traditional and modern Dance Groups with important activity in and abroad, Children’s Theatre workshop, Puppet Show.

URBAN ORGANISATION – GROUND USE

According to the elements of the census realized within the framework of a research run by the company of the Metropolitan Railway of Athens, the territorial region of the Municipality is distributed between the urban and the non-urban uses of the ground, in the following way: Urban used 2.750 hectares corresponding the 10,5% of the total Non-Urban uses, 23.500 hectares of midland grounds, which is the 90% of the total.

The dominant urban uses are: - Uses with special status quo such as military fields, Power and Water supply installations, Telecom installations and open areas (40 hectares). These uses create serious problems to the municipality as they engage precious ground for their infrastructures, augmenting the already existing environmental problems and creating additional traffic pressure to the area. - Residence (610 hectares) - Industrial areas (180 hectares)

BUILD-UP REGIONS

The build-up units of the Municipality are dissimilarly and arbitrarily structured. The central core of the Municipality constitutes of the first build-up unit that acquired street network, with central functions and shaped public places. The southern regions of the Municipality are in the area of influence of big circulatory axes of Public Road network. The northwestern regions have a dense mast as a result of the systematic establishment of immigrants. They are not sufficiently connected with the centre, while there is a total absence of central public spaces. The northeastern regions (in proximity to the Olympic Village) have a dense urban mast and problems of cohesion and organization because of the absence of a master plan.

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AFTER THE OLYMPICS…

The region has undergone a complete change of its previous character with the installation and use of the Olympic Village.

Some of the initial planning intentions were: the incorporation of the new settlement in the mast of Municipality, its appointment as a local centre for the wider region and the creation of connections with its broader region. In brief, the intention was to create a new supralocal center in the northern part of the Municipality.

BIG OLYMPIC INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS

The 2004 Olympic Games constituted a unique occasion of reconstruction of city in relation to its current and future needs. It was also an opportunity for the promotion of concrete developmental choices. The large scale Olympic constructions placed in the territory of the Municipality changed its position in relation to the wider metropolitan region, from a simple satellite and regional town into a main metropolitan center, offering important privileges for the settlement of business enterprises as well as an ideal place to develop housing, leisure and sporting activities.

Several years after the Olympic games it is still an open question to see if initial intentions and declarations have been achieved.

THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE

The Olympic Village of Athens is the biggest housing project that has ever been constructed in the Greek real estate market or social housing projects.

It is situated in the foot of Mount Parnes. It extends in an area of 124,0 hectares and constitutes of a model built-up program of creation of 2.292 medium size residences (120-130sqm). The surface covered with buildings is about 16,5 hectares on 124 hectares. Residential area occupies 43 hectares with total flat areas of 250.000 sqm, service area 15,1 hectares with 86.800 sqm building surface, and 23,6 hectares of green area. The applied construction models ensure environmental friendly materials and manufacturing systems.

During the 2004 (13- 29 August) Olympic games it accommodated approx. 17.000 persons. The proximity to new and old important road infrastructure such as: Kimis highway, the National Road and the Attica Highway ensured the connection of the Olympic Village with the other Olympic venues. For the Municipality the development of new road infrastructure has provided a basic access to the center of the Metropolitan area of Athens.

The Olympic Village houses have been handed over to the beneficiaries of the Workers-Housing- Organization This new town (total land surface 1,240,000 sq.m. total length/width 2,090 m/766 m, indoor hall 3,000 sq.m. outdoor sporting facilities 30,000 sq.m.) includes 2,292 apartments, 879 of which required some adaptation works after the Games. A total of 366 apartment complexes were built covering a surface of 254,000 sq.m. above the ground and 86,000 sq.m. of basements. The avoidance of uniformity and satisfaction of the operating requirements necessitated the building of 19 different types of apartments. All apartments have an area ranging between 84 and 115 sq. m., with two or three bedrooms, two bathrooms, spacious living rooms, large verandas, a basement storeroom and one parking space.

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Special attention has been paid to the reinforcement of local centers by the creation of connecting roads. The circulation in the Olympic village takes place by means of a specially constructed net, which includes roads, pedestrian zones, bicycle routes as well as parking areas.

The integration of the Olympic Village to the wider area of The Municipality of Acharnes takes place according to a recent regulatory plan, aiming at environmental development mostly. The main goal of the plan is to incorporate the Olympic Village so that it will function as a connecting element and not as a separate city.

Considering all these, however, the basic concern faced during its implementation was to plan and construct an Olympic Village suitable for the Games, overlooking in many cases the initial intentions and the relation of the new area with the already existing urban centres and functions.

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Transportation infrastructure is considered of crucial importance for the development of the municipality of Acharnes, a municipality which until very recently was considered to be at the far edge of Attika. The construction of important works such as the New Railway Centre of Acharnes, the expansion of the suburban railway and the new roads change the municipalities' position and generates new developmental perspectives.

RAILWAY CENTER IN ACHARNAI - S K A

Once constructed the new Railway Centre of Acharnes will function as a central node of the intercity railway network, the suburban train and the underground metro. It‘s future function, is considered to be very important for the area as it will facilitate transportation and is expected to attract new business activities. On the other hand it is a very big infrastructure project with supralocal importance and one of the main issues is its integration to the local urban and periurban environment so that various pressures, such as traffic and parking overload, will be avoided.

SUBURBAN RAILWAY

The suburban railway runs along the Attica Highway and is expected to function as an alternative way to get to the airport and the recently developed suburban residential and business areas of Northern Attika. It will also connect Athens and with the big centers of neighbouring prefectures (Korinthos, Loutraki, Chalkida) serving commuters needs. Its effectiveness depends upon the degree of its co-operation with other means of transport, parking facilities, bus, trolley and tram services. The aim is to achieve the reduction of private car use for everyday transportation needs.

THE TERRITORIAL CONSEQUENCES OF OLYMPIC GAMES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ACHARNES.

The Olympic Games constituted a very complicated phenomenon with many consequences on the city that accommodated them. Apart from the athletic part there are also important social, cultural, environmental and mainly financial consequences.

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We should note that the consequences have been both short-term and long–term, not only local but also extensive and influenced the neighboring municipalities.

FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES

During the Olympic preparation period the construction sector presented a double-digit increase, above 10%. Apart from the increase positive influences can be considered the developments of new outlets of know–how. For the municipality the construction of the Olympic Village and the big transportation and road construction works have boosted trade and everyday activities. The proximity of the municipality with the national network ensures the advantages of communication with the rest of the country. Given the big number of immigrants that have settled in the area, there was also an abundance of labor force, which was employed in the constructions of Olympics projects. During the Olympic Games a big number of unemployed also found temporary jobs either in the Olympic Village and the training areas or in the media village. Last but not least, prices of the real estate around the Olympic Village, the media village and the railway center have increased importantly.

It has been about 3 years since the Athens Olympic Village, in the roots of mountain Parnitha, welcomed the first residents, and the problems - despite the promises of those in charge that everything was ready - continue to be numerous and difficult to solve. The city that was created was not studied, as it should, on its social aspect. The most important of all problems, the one that puzzles and scares both residents and scientists, is the lack of social cohesion. The isolation of the village and its transformation into a ghetto due to its model settlement, are the biggest fears of 10.000 citizens that reside in the village. Buildings are not enough to make a city. Meeting points and social services which accompany a city, such as a cultural centre, an Olympic Games museum, a centre for the elderly citizens, a shopping centre, a cinema, a library, cafeterias, banks, post offices etc, were expected, yet never created.

Moreover, residents have to face schools’ inefficiency, as well as the lack of nursery stations, and the completion of the balcony shelters construction. The maintenance of the archaeological space, the green area and the landscape gardening, are some of the remainder problems that the residents point out and ask for immediate solution.

Today, the Olympic Village comprises a new urban complex, with full and complete infrastructure to meet the housing and community needs of 10.000 citizens.

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