Re-think Athens: Urban challenges is a cycle of events that examines the contemporary city in the light of the international experience, using a range of approaches.
For 2014-15, the cycle will focus on various chapters in the history of modern Athens, with discussions focused on issues relating to the processes which have produced the urban environment, the ways in which it is depicted, and the activities of social groups in relation to the city.
These different thematic sections will explore:
• Representations of Athenian space in the Greek cinema between the eras of post-war reconstruction and economic crisis.
• The processes which have shaped Athens’ post-war reconstruction -primarily the practice of house/plot owners handing over their property to developers in exchange for a flat (or flats) in the apartment block built on their land; the consequences of this practice for Athens’ urban planning and society will be assessed.
• The social solidarity practices which have emerged in Athens in recent years, and their historical and ideological underpinnings.
Curators:
Panos Dragonas: Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, Department of Architecture, University of Patras.
Thomas Maloutas: Professor of Social Geography, Department of Geography, Harokopio University.
More info can be found here.