The center of Athens as (new) political issue

The texts included in this collective volume stem from the biannual seminar organized by the National Centre for Social Research and the Master's Program in "Applied Geography and Spatial Management" of the Department of Geography at Harokopio University during the academic year 2010-11, titled "The City Center as a (New) Political Stake."

The ambition of this publication is to contribute to the discussion on the center of Athens by critically addressing its "problematic" character, highlighting the broader political and social stakes concealed behind the simplistic discourse on degradation, and pointing out directions in which political solutions can be sought.

The volume features contributions from authors and researchers of various disciplines, whose texts are based on empirical research and focus on uncovering, analyzing, and understanding the broader social dynamics and social transformation of the center of Athens. Specifically, the topics addressed include transformations and changes in land use and the productive fabric of the city center, the mapping of social morphology (social groups, inequalities, segregation) in residential areas, the symbolic economy and cultural markets, the perception of public space, migration, otherness, and ethnic hierarchies, social claims and movements, the housing market, changes in the landscape of food retail, and more.