The Elliniko Airport: Contested Politics and the Production of Urban Space in Athens, 1938-2014" (2014)
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University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 5-1-2014 The lE liniko Airport: Contested Politics and the Production of Urban Space in Athens, 1938-2014 George Papakis University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Geography Commons, History Commons, and the Urban Studies and Planning Commons Recommended Citation Papakis, George, "The Elliniko Airport: Contested Politics and the Production of Urban Space in Athens, 1938-2014" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 478. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/478 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ELLINIKO AIRPORT: CONTESTED POLITICS AND THE PRODUCTION OF URBAN SPACE IN ATHENS, 1938-2014 by George Papakis A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies at The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee May 2014 ABSTRACT THE ELLINIKO AIRPORT: CONTESTED POLITICS AND THE PRODUCTION OF URBAN SPACE IN ATHENS, 1938-2014 by George Papakis The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014 Under the Supervision of Professor Joseph A. Rodriguez This study traces the historical forces that conditioned the dearth of public spaces in Athens, Greece, and through the case study of the city’s first civil airport, examines the current redevelopment plans of Athens’ largest remaining open space as part of a wider process of urban transformation. After serving the city for sixty years, the airport closed its doors in 2001, and since then the site has remained vacant. The government aims at attracting investments in upscale tourism and real estate, hoping to reposition this sector of the city as a thriving business center and entertainment destination. Yet, given the severe environmental and social problems of Athens, the implementation of an urban development agenda which promotes the further commercialization of urban space will make a livable city––so dependent on open public space––a more difficult and unlikely contingency. It is precisely this possibility that unites a diverse group of community actors that contest the government’s plans arguing instead for the creation of a metropolitan park, and presenting this site as a space of insurgent citizenship. The redevelopment process of the Elliniko airport is a central node in understanding the symbolic construction of Athens’ restructuring as a competitive city, while on the other hand, it figures as a paradigmatic case in the analysis of conflicts between economic development and sustainability. ii © Copyright by George Papakis, 2014 All Rights Reserved iii To my brother, Niko, for being a great mentor, and for always being proud of my smallest accomplishments. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One Introduction 1 Chapter Two Early History of Athens and the Road to Elliniko, 1830-1939 36 Chapter Three The Transformation of Elliniko from a Flying Field to an Airport, 1940-1949 82 Chapter Four The Makeover of Athens and the Golden Period of Elliniko, 1950-1989 121 Chapter Five The Era of Mega-Projects and the Decommission of Elliniko, 1990-2004 168 Chapter Six Athens in Crisis and Elliniko at a Crossroads, 2005-2014 217 Chapter Seven Conclusion 275 References 295 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Refugee family outside their tent at Sourmena in 1925 56 Figure 2.2 House at the “Garden City” 58 Figure 2.3 Modernist house at Elliniko 58 Figure 2.4 What is left of the “garden city” 59 Figure 2.5 Antiquities at Elliniko 63 Figure 2.6 Crown Prince Pavlos at Hasani 64 Figure 2.7 Protest at the Royal Palace 74 Figure 2.8 Foundation-laying ceremony of Hasani airport 76 Figure 2.9 Aerial photograph of the airport in 1937 77 Figure 3.1 German IV. Gruppe pilots at Elliniko airport 85 Figure 3.2 Jerzy Iwanow 87 Figure 3.3 German pilots 88 Figure 3.4 The airport being bombed by the USAAF 94 Figure 3.5 Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou at Elliniko 99 Figure 3.6 Winston Churchill in Athens 101 Figure 3.7 Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery at Hasani airport 103 Figure 3.8 TAE’s office in 1946 117 Figure 4.1 Elliniko in 1951 137 Figure 4.2 The airport’s terminal in the 1950s 139 Figure 4.3 A snapshot of the airport’s expansion in 1957 145 Figure 4.4 President Eisenhower’s arrival at Elliniko in 1959 148 Figure 4.5 President Eisenhower’s arrival at Elliniko in 1959 148 Figure 4.6 Eero Saarinen in Athens 149 Figure 4.7 Saarinen’s sketch of East Terminal 149 Figure 4.8 Saarinen’s model of East Terminal 150 Figure 5.1 Privatization proceeds by region 1990-2000 174 vi Figure 5.2 Wassenhoven’s “Thematic Parks” 185 Figure 5.3 Wassenhoven’s “Arts and literature” 185 Figure 5.4 Wassenhoven’s “Conference center and EXPO” 185 Figure 5.5 Wassenhoven’s “Aeronautics, telecommunication & 185 space technology” Figure 5.6 Proposal by Nancy Conger 191 Figure 5.7 Proposal by Ayman Zahreddine 191 Figure 5.8 Proposal by Gwang Ya Man 191 Figure 5.9 Proposal by Justine Lovinger 191 Figure 5.10 Proposal by Jeanie Yoon 192 Figure 5.11 Proposal by N. Stanos and A. Rodis 192 Figure 5.12 The marina of Agios Kosmas 200 Figure 5.13 The marina in relation to the airport 200 Figure 5.14 The Olympic venues inside Elliniko 204 Figure 5.15 Aerial view of Olympic venues at Elliniko 204 Figure 5.16 Aerial view of the DZO study 211 Figure 5.17 Areas of new construction 211 Figure 6.1 Privatizations in Greece 220 Figure 6.2 The impact of the financial rescue package on Elliniko 222 Figure 6.3 Demonstration against the privatization of Elliniko 224 Figure 6.4 The updated DZO master-plan 232 Figure 6.5 EU Commissioner Stavros Dimas 236 Figure 6.6 From a green park to casinos 243 Figure 6.7 The green washing of Elliniko 243 Figure 6.8 Elliniko and the Acropolis 244 Figure 6.9 General layout of the NTUA study 248 Figure 6.10 Serge Latouche at Elliniko 252 Figure 6.11 David Harvey and Mayor Kortzidis 253 Figure 6.12 Promotional logo for Elliniko 255 vii Figure 6.13 Pollalis’ land use plan for Elliniko 256 Figure 6.14 Digital representation of Pollalis’ plan 257 Figure 6.15 Josep Acebillo’s plan for Elliniko 263 Figure 6.16 Cartoon depicting Acebillo’s involvement in Elliniko 264 Figure 7.1 Cartoon illustrating the final sale of Elliniko 282 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Survey on residents’ perceptions of their urban environment in EU capitals 10 Table 1.2 Greek newspapers, magazines, and other sources 28 Table 2.1 Refugee Population in Athens, 1928 55 Table 2.2 Population by settlement 65 Table 4.1 Athens’ population 1940-1991 128 Table 4.2 Airport traffic in five year intervals 136 Table 4.3 Population increases in municipalities around the airport 155 Table 5.1 Privatization of State-owned enterprises in Greece, 1992-2000 170 Table 6.1 Economic indicators 2004-2013 221 Table 7.1 Legislative elections since 2000 280 ix LIST OF MAPS Map 1.1 Elliniko, and the surrounding area 3 Map 2.1 Hasani, Trahones, and “Garden City” 61 Map 4.1 Security considerations for the location of the new airport 141 x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Professor Joe Rodriguez, for his constructive suggestions, and for providing me the freedom and encouragement to explore my research interests. I am also indebted to Professor Philip Shashko for his guidance and support in completing this dissertation. His close engagement with this study will never be forgotten. He has been a constant source of strength and intellectual stimulation during my studies. I am deeply grateful to Professor Rina Ghose for her help with the literature on neoliberalism and her constant moral support. I would also like to thank Professor Joel Rast for his comments and for initiating me into the fascinating field of urban politics. I would like to extend my warm thanks to Professor William Velez for his positive attitude and for having faith in me. I also thank my good friend Ben Lembrich for his thoughtful comments. Finally, my gratitude goes to my family for their unending love and sacrifices. xi 1 Chapter 1 Introduction This dissertation studies the privatization policies which underpin the urban development trajectories in Athens, examining the way forces operating at a variety of geographical scales intersect in the construction of new socioeconomic environments. More specifically, this qualitative case study will examine the history and the redevelopment of the former international airport of Athens at Elliniko. An analysis of the struggle over this site lends itself favorably to addressing the main thrust of this inquiry, which is to better understand how urban space is produced and transformed in contemporary Athens. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, content analysis, and archival research, I examine how the discussion of Elliniko’s redevelopment has been shaped by specific planning proposals, community activism, and national politics, as well as by the broader influences of geopolitics, paradigms of urban economic revival, and the mode of Greece’s integration in to the Atlantic structures. The case study is examined against the backdrop of political economy literature, which postulates that as cities attempt to become more competitive in the context of neoliberal globalization, they compromise public space, environmental conditions, and local democracy.