The landscape complexity

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The landscape complexity poly-centricity of
the post-industrial city their portraying in
the post-Olympic Athens
AESOPs Thematic Group on Complexity Planning
Meeting Thessaloniki, 16-17 Oct. 2008 'Complex
systems at the various scales of planning'.

• Aspa Gospodini
• Architect, Urban Planner (MSc, PhD, University
  College London)
• Associate Professor of Urban Planning Design,
• Pet of Planning Regional development,
• University of Thessaly,
• Volos, Greece

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Urban Economies their spatial impacts on the
cities

• In urban history, passages from one economic
  paradigm to another have almost always entailed
  shifts in the citys spatial organisation,
  structure and landscape.

just had a lubricating effect In economic
terms, they were always expanding within the
Fordist industrial production modes while in
spatial terms, they were aggregated in the CBD
causing a significant growth of CBD in size and
height but not shifting the citys structure.
50s and 60s 1st generation of business
services (e.g. accounting, stock exchange and
public relations)
had productivity effects In economic terms,
they externalised production from the Fordist
system, becoming producer services and a key to
flexible specialization that accelerated division
of labour. In spatial terms, they rearranged
urban networks by establishing world cities
such as London, New York, Tokyo.
70s and 80s 2nd generation of business
services (e.g. management consulting, marketing
consulting, engineering consulting, real estate),
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The rise of New Urban Economies

• Since the early 1990s, European and American
  cities in regions of advanced economies as well
  as some metropolitan cities in Asian regions of
  growth economies have been experiencing the
  flourishing of new urban economies. Among them,
  
• cultural and leisure economies and
• economies of informational technologies
• are the most widespread and visible
  manifestations of the economic novelty of the
  post-industrial city.
• The emerging new urban economies have marked a
  major shift in terms of spatial structure and
  landscape

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New Urban Economies Their spatial impacts on
the post-industrial city

• have marked a major shift in urban economy,
  society and space
• In economic terms, they created a new
  integrated service-technology production system
  .
• In social terms, they gave rise to a new species
  of workers - high tech staff and knowledge
  workers generating new middle classes with a
  new consumption ethic and aesthetics, and higher
  sensitivity to urban heritage and the protection
  of natural environment
• In spatial terms, they are
• (a) rearranging urban networks and upgrading
  certain cities in the global hierarchies as
  service poles (such as for instance Seattle,
  Hong Kong, Barcelona, Milan)
• (b) clustering in inner city areas and thereby,
  sifting/expanding the citys spatial core and
  altering its spatial organisation and structure,
  and
• (c) becoming a key catalyst for urban
  redevelopment and renewal and thereby, re-shaping
  urban landscape and re-imaging the city

since the 90s the 3rd generation of business
services (information technology, innovation and
design, cultural production, global financial
intermediaries and international mega-projects
consortia)
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The evolution of the dominant land-use patterns
urban landscapes in the last century
Post-Modern city 1. since the 80s special
land-use mix 2. since the 90s eclectic
clustering of particular flourishing urban
economic activities heterogeneous multi-nuclei
landscape
Pre-Modern city late 19th century and the first
half of the 20th century Land-use mix
hierarchical mono-nucleus landscape
Modern city decades of 50s, 60s,
70s Land-use zoning homogeneous, repetitive
multi-nuclei landscape
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Eclectic clustering of flourishing new urban
economic activities
So far, the new dominant land-use pattern in
the inner postmodern city involves an eclectic
clustering of 2 groups of flourishing new urban
economic activities
A
B

• high level financial services,
• technology-intensive knowledge-based firms
  and institutions,

• cultural leisure activities.

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Clusters formation planning and design of
epicenters in the post-industrial city

The formation of clusters of new economies
But in most cases clusters are planned and
designed by local authorities or/and the state
Can be spontaneous e.g. informally created and
maintained by private sector.
In order to endorse the clustering of flourishing
new urban economic activities, metropolitan
cities and large cities making efforts to
maintain or/and upgrade their status in the
hierarchies of the global urban network,
consciously plan, design and develop signifying
or symbolic epicentres.
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TYPES OF NEW EPICENTRES in post-industrial city
are constituted by clusters of a) high level
financial intermediary services, b)
technology-intensive knowledge-based firms and
institutions
?. Entrepreneurial Epicentres

Correspond to clusters of museums of various
kinds galleries, theatres, operas, concert halls,
convention centres, etc.
?. High-Culture Epicentres
consist of clusters of popular music clubs,
cafes, bars, restaurants, (ethnic and
continental), music shops, bookshops, small
theatres, etc.
C. Popular leisure Epicentres
correspond to clusters of museums of various
kinds, convention halls, galleries, concert
halls, theatres, parks and promenades etc.
D. Culture leisure waterfront Epicentres
are constituted by clusters of shopping centres,
multiplex cinemas, cafes, bars, restaurants,
sports facilities, theme parks and amusement
parks, exhibition centres,
E. Exurban Epicentres of Culture, Leisure
consumption
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Entrepreneurial epicentresin the post-industrial
city

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High-Culture Epicentresin the post-industrial
city

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Popular-leisure Epicentresin the post-industrial
city

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Waterfront Epicentres in the post-industrial city

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Exurban Epicentres in the post-industrial city

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Post-industrial Economies Epicenters in the
geographic and economic periphery of Europe

• In this framework, an important issue concerns
  the differences in the trajectories of cities
  belonging in different groups and classes.
• In particular, the main questions raised are
• 1. Do distinct types of epicentres of new
  economies, as emerging in metropolitan cities
  with mature economy, get transformed while
  adopted by other classes and groups of cities in
  the geographic or/and economic periphery of
  Europe (like for instance, Lisbon and Athens)?
  And how?
• 2. To what extent local authorities policies and
  management strategies for clusters of new
  economies are differentiated in the geographic
  or/and economic periphery of Europe ?

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The case study of Athens and the growth of
Post-industrial Urban Economies

• In Athens and the greater area of Attica,
• post-industrial urban economies represent
• 20 of the total economic activity in terms
  number of enterprises
• 16 of the total economic activity in terms of
  annual turnover.

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The case study of Athens the contribution of
each sector in the total post-industrial economic
activity.
Considering Athens Attica, the contribution
of distinct sectors in the total post-industrial
economic activity,

• In terms of number of enterprises,
• culture and leisure night-time entertainment
  are the most important sectors respectively
  representing
• 55 and 29 of all new economic activities.
• However, in terms of annual turnover,
• ICTs and multimedia is the most flourishing
  sector representing 36 of all new economic
  activities, followed by
• intermediary financial services with 26,
• culture and leisure with 21,
• and night-time entertainment with 9

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ATHENS ATTICA Clusters of athletics, culture
and leisure planned developed by public
authorities for hosting the 2004 Olympics
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ATHENS ATTICA Clusters of athletics, culture
and leisure planned developed by public
authorities for hosting the 2004 Olympics
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Urban governancethe post-Olympics re-use of the
Athens Olympics Projects

• Some of these planned epicentres are underused
  (e.g. sporadically hosting athletic, political
  and cultural events like the musical event
  Eurovision 2006).
• or they are non-used at all, still waiting for
  a master plan offering the optimal post-Olympic
  re-use, exploitation and revitalisation of
  space.This refers to athletic complexes for
  sports that are not popular in Greece e.g.
  badminton, indoor cycling, canoe/kayak, and
  others.
• For most of the Olympics-epicenters, the revised
  planned by the Olympic Real Estates proposes to
  be sold and privatized proposals that has
  created reactions of both scholars, professionals
  and people.

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Post-Olympics re-use of the Athens Olympics
Projects
Post-Olympics image of planned epicentres that
are underused or occasionally used for sporadic
cultural or athletic events
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Post-Olympics re-use of the Athens Olympics
Projects
The lack of a master for the re-use of Olympics
projects leaves space for various offers.and
ideas In the case of the Falliron Olympics venue
of volleyball, beach-volleyball, handball,
Tae-Kwon-Do, there has been an offer by a Greek
shipping tycoon family Niarchos - to develop an
Opera on the waterfront perhaps imitating
Syndney.
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Post-Olympics commercializationof the Athens
Olympics Projects
In the case of the Hellinikon Olympics venue of
Canoe-slalom, there has been a proposal to be
sold, privatized and converted into a water
amusement park a good money-making idea for
private funds
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Post-Olympics commercializationof the Athens
Olympics Projects
Demonstration against the commercialization of
the Olympics projects
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Post-Olympics commercializationof the Athens
Olympics Projects
Demonstration against the commercialization of
the Olympics projects and their conversion as
shopping and leisure centres
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Athens spontaneous clusters of new economies.
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ATHENS spontaneous clusters laissez-faire
epicentres
1. The entrepreneurial epicentre along Kifissias
Avenue

• A cluster of
• a) High level intermediary financial services
  (international banks, stock exchange companies,
  international insurance companies)
• b) Technology-intensive and knowledge based
  enterprises (telecommunication companies, dotcom,
  etc).

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Land Use Map Kifissias Avenue
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ATHENS Kifissias Avenue a spontaneous cluster
a laissez-faire epicentre

• Research has shown that there has been no
  specific policy or economic motive for the
  development of this spontaneous cluster.
• There has been no states intervention in the
  planning and design of the area after the
  clusters spontaneous formation.

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ATHENS Kifissias Avenue a spontaneous cluster
a laissez-faire epicentre

• The maintenance and development of the cluster
  has been left to private interests that have
  created an conventional office landscape in
  contrast to the innovative design schemes of such
  entrepreneurial epicenters in other European
  cities

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ATHENS Kifissias Avenue a spontaneous cluster
a laissez-faire epicentre

• The maintenance and development of the cluster
  has been left to private interests that created a
  conventional office landscape in contrast to the
  innovative design schemes of such entrepreneurial
  epicenters in other European cities

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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre

• a 19th century industrial axis which has
  spontaneously converted into a high-culture
  popular leisure epicentre due to its particular
  characteristics
• a) easy access to both Athens and Pireaus,
• b) large-sized heritage edifices with great
  potential for redesign and re-use
• c) abandoned sites and law real estate prices,
  and
• d) a conserved environment of high cultural
  value.

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Pireaus Avenue, Athens Land-Use Map 2006
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
The north part of Pireaus Avenue The New Benaki
Museum, the winning entry of a national
architectural competition.
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
The north part of Pireaus Avenue Night clubs
next to the New Benaki Museum.
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
The north part of Pireaus Avenue Athens Arena
Athens Pantheon complex is located in an old
industrial estate and exhibiting an innovative
redesign of the old edifices. It comprises
Athens Arena (a large auditorium for multiple
performances), 2 night clubs for popular music, 2
cinemas, many commercial shops, five restaurants,
a café, a roof garden with a pool, a hotel, a gym
and a spa.
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
The north part of Pireaus Avenue, Athens
Technopolis, The old Gas Factory which was
converted into a large culture and leisure centre
(30,000 m²), hosting many music and art-events in
different halls and auditoriums and run by
Municipal authorities of Athens.
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
The southern part of Pireaus Avenue Hellinikos
Cosmos, a museum and a cultural centre run by the
Foundation of Hellenic World, located in an old
industrial estate of 60,000 m² and accommodating
virtual reality shows and interactive
technology-intensive education for pupils and
adults, covering subjects like Greek history, new
technologies and their applications, cyberspace.
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
The southern part of Pireaus Avenue The School
of Fine Arts, University of Athens.
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
The southern part of Pireaus Avenue The
Municipal Art Gallery.
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
Small theatres accommodated in old industrial
edifices
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ATHENS Pireaus Avenue a spontaneous cluster of
culture leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
Bios Centre A complex of avant-garde design
galleries accommodated in old industrial edifices
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ATHENS Psirri a spontaneous cluster of culture
leisure a laissez-faire epicentre

• Psiri was originally developed in the mid 19th
  century as residential area of low-middle classes
  and working classes due to its proximity to the
  gas factory and the silk factory and the
  industrial estates along Pireaus Avenue.
• Gradually a large number of small factories, a
  kind of family-operated workshops mainly of
  leather goods, small furniture, small metal
  constructions
• Deterioration started in the area in the end of
  1970s due to
• the decline of traditional industries,
• restrictions in the reconstruction of sites due
  to archaeological ruins,
• narrow streets with car traffic, air pollution,
• conflicts among non-neighbouring land uses and
  activities such as housing and factories.
• Deterioration processes lasted for almost 2
  decades

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ATHENS Psirri a spontaneous cluster of culture
leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
Stabilization in the area started in the early
1990s with newcomers mainly foreign immigrants
attracted by low housing rents near the city
centre.
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ATHENS Psirri a spontaneous cluster of culture
leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
Stabilization reinforced by b) new middle
classes attracted by low real estate prices, the
amenities of inner city and the hope for the
regeneration of Psiri, as promised by politicians
and local authorities during Athens
restructuring to host the 2004 Olympics.
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ATHENS Psirri a spontaneous cluster of culture
leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
And mainly by c) Popular entertainment
enterprises (cafes, bars, restaurants, night
clubs)
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ATHENS Psirri a spontaneous cluster of culture
leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
d) high-culture activities (theatres, art
galleries) that were in need of large spaces with
low rents in the citys centre.
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ATHENS Psirri a spontaneous cluster of culture
leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
and also by creative activities (e.g.
architectural and graphic design offices,
software design offices, etc) that always value
heritage environment and urban renewal and
regeneration
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ATHENS Psirri a spontaneous cluster of culture
leisure a laissez-faire epicentre
Today Psirri is an extremely lively regenerated
inner city area, an area with mixed land uses -
an epicentre of culture and popular leisure.
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New Economies Epicenters in the geographic and
economic periphery of EuropeTHE GREEK
EXPERIENCE the case of Athens

• We may now answer the questions raised in the
  introduction
• Do distinct types of epicentres of
  post-industrial economies, as emerging in
  metropolitan cities with mature economy, get
  transformed while adopted by other cities in the
  geographic or/and economic periphery of Europe?
• To what extent local authorities policies and
  management strategies for clusters of new
  economies are differentiated in the geographic
  or/and economic periphery of Europe?

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1. Conclusions

• 1. Global cities and mature large cities appear
  to support and control the formation,
  development, and management of clusters of
  flourishing post-industrial economies by means of
  spatial planning, architectural and urban design
  and local policies (e.g. Viennas and Rotterdams
  Museum quarters Barcelonas Forum of
  Civilisations 2004, Berlins Potzdamer Platz).
• 2. Also smaller European cities appear to
  exhibit successful examples of new cultural and
  leisure neighbourhoods, comprehensively been
  planned, designed and managed (e.g. Bilbaos
  Abandoibarra area along Nervion River and
  Valencias City of Arts and Sciences).
• 3. Such cultural and leisure clusters
  hard-brand the cities by means of innovative
  schemes that enhance place identity,
• 4. The Greek experience shows that
  entrepreneurial epicentres of high-technology and
  intermediary financial services like Kifissias
  Avenue in Athens, as well as epicentres of
  high-culture and popular leisure, like that of
  Pireaus Avenue in Athens, are characterised by
  spontaneous formation and laissez faire
  development and management.

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2. Conclusions

• Interviews with directors of high-culture
  enterprises (e.g. museums, art galleries and the
  like) as well as the managerial personnel of
  night-time entertainment enterprises have shown a
  low interest of local authorities and the state
  in both the formation and development processes
  of the clusters.
• In Pireaus Avenue and Psirri,
• Interviewees remonstrated about the following
• 1. Renewal or/and redevelopment processes in
  heritage industrial estates both public and
  private exhibit a slow pace since no economic
  incentives have been established by local
  authorities or the state.

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2. Conclusions
2. There are public open spaces that have not yet
been renewed whereas those redesigned and
reconstructed are not decently maintained but
they often constitute no go spaces. 3. Public
transportation is not satisfactory.. 4.
Interviewees expressed their wish for a possible
co-operation in the cluster in order to host mega
cultural events, distributed all over the various
building complexes.

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3. Conclusions

• All the above highlight the inefficiency of local
  authorities in Greek cities
• to invest in spatial planning and design of new
  cultural and leisure epicentres and
• to produce local policies for the formation,
  development and management of the new epicentres.
  
• The established urban governance model in
  contemporary Greek cities is a kind of hybrid
  structure between Europeanization and
  traditional political behavioural logic
  dominated by clientelistic networks in the policy
  production processes.
• Thus, the competency of Greek cities is tied to
  major improvements that have to be made in the
  field of urban governance.

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Thank youfor your attention