Struggling for the right to the city among ruins: The case of ‘Plato’s Academy’ neighbourhood in Athens

Maritina Iliadi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract / Description of output

Within the context of neoliberal governance, urban development prioritises capital security by emphasising the exchange value over the use value of urban space. This is evident in the management of urban heritage, where persistent top-down strategies have prioritised the ‘touristification’ of historic urban centres, causing the displacement of the local population to the peripheries of cities. In the light of the congestion of the historical centres due to overtourism, the development of the tourism activity is now expanding to otherwise neglected, peripheral neighbourhoods. The local communities of these districts oppose plans that respond to external economic pressures and movements have emerged that vindicate their rights to the city. This paper looks at the city of Athens, which is experiencing the ‘touristification’ of its historical centre, among other social, economic, and environmental crises. Particularly, it examines the low-income, post-industrial neighbourhood called ‘Plato’s Academy’ on the periphery of the historical centre. Currently, large-scale urban regeneration plans to display the area’s archaeological heritage as a tourist attraction are in conflict with the local community, which, through acts of self-organisation, protests them as impertinent to its needs. Although the local residents exhibit a holistic understanding of their existing heritage, the centralised, top-down approach of the administration tends to exclude them from any decision-making processes. This paper seeks to analyse this conflict, arising from exclusionary and speculative urban heritage management strategies and to highlight the opportunities of a framework based on the Right to the City concept that embraces creative conflict for a fair and inclusive heritage management in the peripheries of cities.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCultural Heritage on the Urban Peripheries
Subtitle of host publicationTowards New Research Paradigms
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Pages187-206
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)9781040307236
ISBN (Print)9781032762890
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Jan 2025

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Struggling for the right to the city among ruins: The case of ‘Plato’s Academy’ neighbourhood in Athens'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this