THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION EXPLORING THE SPATIALITY OF LOCALITIES: MULTI-SCALE ANALYSIS OF THE LOCAL CENTRE OF PSIRRIS CENTRALITY THE CASE OF CENTRAL ATHENS MACRO SCALE the radial structure of Psirris and its accessible periphery late Ottoman period Ioanna Kolovou,[email protected], Supervised by: Kayvan Karimi,The Bartlett, MRes Inter-disciplinary Urban Design Aristofanous str. str. Aristofanous high prewar period low normalised angular choice radius 2000 m. MESO SCALE lack of co-present people in Aristorfanous street 500m late postwar period Objectives of the research and functional - approach, local centres current socio-spatial differentiations Based on both notions of ‘centrality’ and are firstly identified by their place names. between localities are dependent on ‘locality’, the focus of this research is the Subsequently, four models of street net- the transformation of the street network 2 study of ‘local centres’ within cities. work and their key urban elements are of the city, on the location of key urban compared across four key time periods elements of each period and on the The research uses the case study of of the city’s formation to detect the spa- evolution of centrality. Thus, the analy- central Athens and is divided in two tial changes in the evolution of central sis of localities cannot be isolated from drug users low density of uses on the northern side of Psirris parts. Each part attempts to address the Athens. This is then related to the current the city-wide context in which they have P following questions: socio-economic activity, revealing the emerged, evolved and differentiated mechanisms that created major differ- over periods of major transformation of 1.) How have named localities emerged ences in the landscape of the city centre the city centre. during the evolution of central Athens of Athens. from the late Ottoman period until today In the local context, the research argues and to what extent has their spatial evo- At a closer scale of analysis, the second that there is an important interaction global high lution produced socio-spatial inequalities part of the research explores the effect between scales and the ways urban normalised in Central Athens? of the interaction of spatial scales in en- problems arise. The interplay of spatial intergation low 2.) To what extent does the interaction hancing or hindering sociability in local scales is important in analysing how between spatial scales promote or hin- centres. Five case studies are chosen form, structure and function influence der social interaction in local centres? to represent the most typical categories movement and co-presence, the two THE LOCAL CENTRES of local centres. Methodologically, the most fundamental conditions for face- high TODAY Methodology & Data spatial analysis of the street network and to-face interaction to occur. As a result, The research is strongly related to the the built environment is compared with various spatial factors of the immediate low field of urban design and adopts a mix patterns of movement, patterns of uses local context can play different roles in MICRO SCALE square of Psirris blocks the most visibly integrated field Thimarakia of methods, from urban morphology, to and patterns of crime and illegal activi- enhancing or hindering social activity in Amerikis Kipseli geography and sociology. Space syntax ties across three scales: the macro scale local centres. Lofos Skouze Attiki Aghios Panteleimonas analysis is centrally located in this re- of the wider context, the meso scale of Kolonos search as an evidence-based approach an area of 5min walk from the square Viktorias Pedion Areos Poligono Gkizi Conclusions Akadimia Platonos Larissa station for analysing spatial form across differ- and the micro scale of the area around Mouseio Overall, the understanding of localities ent spatial scales and for relating spatial the focal point. Vathis cannot be separated either from its glob- Neapoli Exarchia form with social outcomes. omonia al context and its historical meaning or Metaxourgio Lycabettus Pefkakia Akadimia/ Panepistimio from its local environment. Suggestions Koumoundourou sq. Votanikos The first part of the research investigates Key findings Keramikos Klafthmonos Gkazi Psirri Evangelismos to tackle urban problems in local centres Thission In the global context, the way that the Kolonaki Monastiraki Syntagma the impact of the spatial evolution of lo- Hilton city centre of Athens evolved has an should not neglect the greater dynamics high Aerides calities on the formation of socio-spatial Asteroskopio Plaka impact on the formation of greater so- of the city and should seriously consider rouf inequalities in central Athens. According low Akropolis cio-spatial inequalities between different the particular specificities of localities. Makrygianni Kalimarmaro to a threefold - historical, morphological Petralona Gargaretta Mets Filopappou localities. The study suggests that the visibility Fix Kinosarges integration .