7-10 NOVEMBRE 2012
Facultat de Geografia i Història - Universitat de Barcelona
Dimecres 7/11/2012
Dijous 8/11/2012
Divendres 9/11/2012
Dissabte 10/11/2012
Athens Urban Space Riots: from December 2008 Revolt to Mobilizations in the Era of Crisis
PhD Candidate, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (tsavdaroglou@arch.auth.gr)
PhD Candidate, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (makrygianniv@arch.auth.gr)
Abstract
Contemporary struggles and revolts that rise in Athens during the crisis era sprang from existing social relations and sow seeds that are growing day by day. In this paper we roam the Athenian metropolis, attempting to illuminate those angels that prepared the scenery for contemporary urban fights. Following Lefebvre’s analysis we consider space in a dialectic approach as a projection of the society on the ground. Consequently we claim that urban space can function as a social antagonistic arena where everyday life is in the focal point of political and social conflicts. Through a tour of Athens’s particular urban characteristics, we analyze and compare the territorial spread of December 2008 revolt and the contemporary mobilizations against austerity measures. For this aim we examine the articulation of the land uses, the gentrification processes, the model of compact city vis-à-vis the emergence of urban sprawl. Moreover we pinpoint in the socio-spatial and class-political composition of Athenian neighborhoods. Furthermore we claim that Athens welcomed the December 2008 revolt and the following crisis struggles in its own way, which has similarities but also notable differences with recent revolts and fights such as the US Occupy movement, Spanish Indignados movement or the Arabic spring. Finally we argue that December 2008 gave birth to a plethora of spaces and practices which are crucial in the turmoil of economic crisis. In closing we adhere to the claim that Athens will always vindicate its urban character through its small and big revolts.
