Athenian transformations: Athens is undergoing traumatic transformations in preparation for the Olympics. Report by Jim Antoniou

Architectural Review, The, May, 2004 by Jim Antoniou

Greece is renowned as the homeland of the Olympic Games in honour of the god Zeus at Olympia, now the mute ruins of the Palaestra, or training ground. Training was gruelling work, so much so that the Greek word for competing games, agones, became the English word for 'agony'. Greece is once again frantically agonizing to create the right setting in Athens for the 2004 International Olympic Games, with over 200 countries competing. As a result of hosting the Games, modern Athens is undergoing a long-awaited renaissance to upgrade the capital to European standards. Athenians are suddenly realizing that ugly surroundings are not inevitable.

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Jim Antoniou, Athens-born architect and urban planner, gives a personal account of urban improvements proposed in time for the Games. He died suddenly and unexpectedly earlier this year (see his obituary AR April, p36). Jim was working on the following text in his last days. The article was intended to be an analytical study of the morphology of the Greek capital of the kind Antoniou had done for the AR previously (October 1999, April 2001, March 2003). The sketches are his preliminary studies for more finished drawings.

Scarcely a city in ancient Greece failed to stage its own Games in honour of the gods, including Athens. Ancient Athens grew around its central landmark, the sacred rock of the Acropolis, with the splendid Parthenon built as a temple to the patron goddess Athena, when the city's monuments were at their zenith of power and beauty. Since then, Athens has gone downhill. Now, the centre is a cramped area between Lycabettus Hill, to the north-east of the Acropolis, and Philopapou Hill to the south-west, surrounded by an ever-increasing sea of concrete apartment blocks.

When the Games were revived in 1896, Athens seemed the right place to stage the Olympics. Now, more than a hundred years later, Athens is once again preparing to host the International Olympics. A decision had to be made on whether to house the Games in one concentrated area or park outside the built-up area, or share the event with the city on several well-located sites. Greek planners saw the latter as a unique opportunity to upgrade parts of the capital from dilapidated buildings, neglected streets and pavements, chaotic traffic and the now infamous nephos, or smog cloud.

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The visitor's first port of call, the recent airport run with Germanic efficiency, leads to clean, cool and new metro lines, a state-of-the-art tram system, 130km of highways and a 100 million tree and planting operation, covering some 10 000 ha, thus making the largest green intervention in Greek history. Similarly, new pedestrian areas link the main archacological sights, museums and shopping streets. In the post-Olympic period, it is hoped Athens will reap the cultural and economic benefits of hosting the Games.

This is no mean feat for a small country with limited resources and an ego the size of Mount Olympus. Indeed, if the Greeks pull off this international event (and they think they can), it would be their greatest unexpected triumph since they beat the Persian invasion some 2600 years ago. However, Greek planners are understandably frantic to do as much as possible, before momentum and money evaporate in August 2004. Assuming these formidable tasks can be achieved in time, sustainability is crucial to achieving success. Public authorities need the resources (experienced staff and finance) to continue to maintain these operations on a large enough scale after this date. Also, pedestrianization on such a large scale will need to take account of the impact on vehicular traffic and alternative routes as part of a coordinated plan.

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Moreover, Athens is cursed by two other limitations in achieving a pleasant physical environment. One is the complete disregard of the law by noisy motorbike riders: they mobilize pedestrian streets at their own convenience and park in batches with impunity. A policeman is more likely to harass and fine an old lady who wants to park and buy a loaf of bread than confront groups of easy riders in heavy leather. The other curse of Athens is graffiti. It seems almost the whole of the city is divided into graffiti zones by gangs who compete to see who can do the most damage to the environment. In the short term this is unlikely to change. It seems police and politicians are reluctant to confront the youth of Athens on such issues.

From Kleanthis to Calatrava

Modern Athens is a tale of development which began in 1832, with a fledgling capital of 4000 people. The Greek architect Stamatios Kleanthis, working with Bavarian Eduard Schaubert, produced a plan for the centre. Now, with a population of 4 million, the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has used his own brand of architectural acrobatics to design the main Olympic Sports Complex in Halandri, a north-eastern suburb of the capital.

Other main sporting sites in the northern part of Greater Athens include the Olympic village (situated north of Halandri), the centre for wrestling and judo at Ano Liosia, to the north-west, and at Schinias, east of Marathon, in spite of dubious trials and the weather, events such as rowing, canoeing and kayaking will take place. Along the coast, within the fashionable resort of Faliron, facilities for beach volleyball are being provided. North Faliron is the new weightlifting centre, while to the south at Agios Kosmas is the sailing centre. Athens centre and the coastline facilities are linked, via Faliron, by the new tramline.