Spatial evolution of 4 large Greek cities

The text aims to weigh a number of issues that characterize the spatial status and the geo-historical evolution of four major Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Volos). In order to approach and estimate the spatial development of these cities, a review of bibliographic, legislative and cartographic sources and a field survey were carried out as well as an exploration and analysis of the spatial and historical main processes. The analysis data concerne mainly the regional and town planning plans and the historical archive maps as well as  the field recording of the key central functions of the studied cities. This work allowed to create a series of original cartographic materials concerning the four cities. The processes of collecting, analyzing and creation of these secondary and original data focused on the study of: 1. the boundaries and location of the four cities by highlighting their geographic and administrative characteristics and by elaborating a sizes scale  based on extensive work of map measurements, for each urban area, 2. the regional and urban planning on the basis of collection and of analysis of comparative data for the selected cities regardind the city plans in force and historical, 3. the extensions of the urban fabric of the four cities on the basis of the analysis of topographic existing maps  relating to  the different historical moments of their urban development and reflecting the modern evolution of each city from the late 19th century up to the end of the 20th century, 4. the conformation of the main urban functions for each city by collecting and studying the topographical data that refer principally to the central city area but also to the geographical area of its wider urban region and that concern the land uses as they derive from the cartographic and bibliographic sources and from the field recordings, and 5. of the postwar period for the Greek major cities examined through particular characteristics and problems of eachone of the cities under study, and 5. of the postwar period for Greek large cities by revealing the specific characteristics and problems of each city.