July 30, 2010

The struggle to clean up Athens historic center area

Editorial at Kathimerini on the mounting pressure from businesses and residents around the Athens center area to force government action.

"When you try to analyze Athens in 2010, it is difficult to know which Athens you are talking about. Is it the vibrant, progressive city that seems to regenerate itself without the intervention of any authorities, where super-cool bars, relaxed cafes, proud independent stores and cozy tavernas sit comfortably next to majestic ruins and thousands of years of culture? Or is it the dysfunctional metropolis where the citizens follow the authorities’ lead, heaping neglect and disinterest on their surroundings, allowing trash to be thrown anywhere, immigrants to live in squalor and petty criminals to take over the city’s historic heart?

It has become evident in recent years that as incongruous as it may seem, Athens is both of these cities.

...A survey made public last week suggested that bookings at hotels in central Athens had fallen by 16.5 percent in May this year compared to the same month in 2009. Those outside the center suffered a smaller decline of 11.3 percent. Hoteliers are in no doubt that crime and a climate of unrest have been responsible for the higher downturn. Parliament’s environment committee also produced its own report on the city center’s woes.

“This is not a problem that can be solved by holding competitions for architectural designs and pilot schemes because the luxury of time does not exist,” said the committee chairman, Costas Kartalis."

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