What I can see

These two pedestrian roads comprise the backbone of the long walk of Athens, which consolidates the most important archaeological sites and has a total length of about 1.5 km. The walk lasts 15-20 minutes, and is part of the one of the largest pedestrian complexes in Europe. It starts from Amalias Avenue and ends at Asomaton Square. All axes and lines are connected directly or indirectly to the archaeological monuments. All along this walkway, one meets musicians, street performers and – at the Apostolou Pavlou Street – a flea market of handmade products. Moreover, it is an interesting route to travel by bike, especially when it is not crowded. The gentle uphill slope is not a deterrent for cycling or running. The original redevelopment project was very interesting, but was not fulfilled due to high cost and time pressure from the Olympic Games. The coating materials respect the principle of reversibility, ie they can be removed at any time and are friendly to the antiquities below that have not yet been excavated.

What I can't see

Before the pedestrianization, the Apostolou Pavlou Street was a crowded street, and Dionysiou Areopagitou was an endless parking lot. Both the landscape and the archaeological sites were degraded. Objectives of the project were to consolidate archaeological sites, serve the operating needs of residents and visitors, limit the linearity imposed by the earlier streets, and create a smooth transition from the archaeological landscape to the contemporary public space. The study provided the demoting of Apostolou Pavlou Street, such that the visitor would have direct contact with the antiquities, with wavy paths to avoid the strict linearity, a collateral alternative route, maps of the ancient roads, increased accessibility for people with disabilities, urban equipment (e.g. benches), all accomplished using cost-effective, environmentally-friendly materials. Ultimately, however, there was no demoting, linearity was not fully prevented, the urban equipment is limited, several spaces are underutilized, and industrial paving sett dominates, which is tiring for people with mobility problems and prams.

 

Bibliography