P.M. Delladetsimas - WordPress.com · 2017-01-06 · The factors affecting these trends: •...

P.M. DelladetsimasHarokopio University Athens

[email protected]

AGORA INTENATIONAL SEMINAR Universidade de Lisboa

November 24-25 2016

The issue of decline and crisis of central Athens

What are the prospects for a renewed policy agenda for urban-local development?

In particular ….the importance of local initiatives and other neighbourhood entities in guiding local land use planning and local strategies

Innovation-Social Innovation and arts in the context of a an urban regeneration strategy

AGORA INTENATIONAL SEMINAR

Universidade de Lisboa

November 24-25 2016

Current conditions• Out migration-suburbanization

• In coming migrant flows in a context of a rather inexistent housing or

shelter policy …“filling the voids”- over crowding

• Housing and mortgage crisis

• Property Taxation

• Office crisis

• Retail market crisis (especially small shops)

• Inflow of low cost uses (fast food, bars, retail etc)

• De-industrialization of SMEs operating in the city centre

• Environmental and pollution problems

• Uncontrolled Traffic and Parking problems

• Decentralization of central institutions and Ministries

• City maintenance

• Acute absence of public space protection/ maintenance

• Increasing vacancy rates involving of all uses



November 24-25 2016

• In the core city centre...neighbourhoods exceeding

45% vacancies, leading to abandoned buildings and

vacant lots

• Even in potentially important areas of value, lie

underused and ignored e.g. the area around National

Theatre in Athens…



November 24-25 2016

• A vicious circle…

Outflow, businesses decline, people lose jobs and

the ability to maintain assets or pay rents sufficient

to allow for maintenance

No income to stimulate the local economy and

sustain neighbourhood businesses

All of these in combination to newly emerging issues

(migrants, homeless and poverty)

.



November 24-25 2016



November 24-25 2016

78% of homeless refuse support by the municipality.

• 20.000 paupers rely on municipal support mechanisms στηρίζονται από κοινωνικές δομές του Δήμου

Αθηναίων, approximately 480 homeless live on the streets of central ; exacerbating demand for food

provision.

http://s.enet.gr/resources/2013-10/18_grafima--2-thumb-large.jpg

http://s.enet.gr/resources/2013-10/18_grafima--2-thumb-large.jpg

The factors affecting these trends:

• External factors

• Changes in the demographic and social composition of the inner area.

• Changes in the income structure and life –stile of urban population.

• Decentralization process of SMEs and industrial activity.

• Suburbanization processes affecting historically the city centre.

• Major retail firms and malls located in areas of high accessibility

• Over concentration of socio-economic problems in distinct areas

• Socio political conflicts and rioting affecting among others decisions of “out- migration”, relocation and closure

• Out going investment initiatives (New National Library- Opera, Redevelopment of the former Airport)

• Environnemental issues (trafic pollution, production pollution, noise pollution,..

• Crisis and/or scarce demand in the rented sector.



November 24-25 2016

• Internal factors

• Age and quality of the building assets

• Escalating maintenance costs

• Complicated ownership structure of the individual asset.

• Hereditary issues associated to the ownership of the assets producing bottlenecks for their re-utilization.

• Speculative behaviour on behalf of the land owners directly related to investment renewal and transport projects in adjacent turban areas.

• Physical rigidity of the assets to adjusting to new uses.



November 24-25 2016

Policy – legal factors operating both externally and internally

• Planning -development control problems.

• Planning blight

• Legal issues deriving from mortgage policy (e.g. confiscations).

• Bad management-valorisation of available public property assets.

• Listed building policies affecting maintenance renewal costs and reuse.

Vacancies Abandonment Decline

Gentrification

Main stream

renewal

Alternative Policy Alternative Policy ?



November 24-25 2016

Existing policies

The planning system is based on a hierarchical but

fragmented structure involving central state departments and

institutions (in charge of e.g. all transport systems, the

Community Support Framework funds etc.), the Periphery

(democratically elected regional and sub-regional institutions)

and the municipality, at the local level.

The array of institutions normally involved in spatial

development planning produce a complex decision-making.

The situation is further complicated by scarcities resulting

from the 1994 and 2010 administrative reforms (Law

2218/1994, Law 3852/07/07/2010), which did not provide

sufficient transparency in the allocation of competencies and

funds process.



November 24-25 2016

• Master planning (Regional)

• Local Land Use Plans

• Rigid “old fashioned” blue-print plans of a

rational comprehensive logic, with negligible

implementation mechanisms –physical

determinism

• No interconnection to social, economic, cultural

aims

• Renewal schemes of the 1980s and 1990s-

designed gentrification



November 24-25 2016

• In progress the Plan for Integrated

Intervention (SOAP) inhibiting a rationale

that interconnects physical- social and

economic parameters…

• Not implemented yet due to lack of

resources.



November 24-25 2016

Municipality of Athens (initiatives):

Synathina (Ergo Athina): online platform of the municipality – networking

of actors and volunteers working of fields such as health, education, urban

development, culture, technology etc. and promoting the improvement of

the quality of life – innovation award/ Eurocities network synathina.gr

Examples of initiatives:

Caravan project: a digital platform formation with aim to document

narratives in Metaksourgeio area

Neon Community Project: local arts projects, reuse of abandonded

buildings e.g. Kypseli - municipal Cinema Stella

Consultation on the role of the public market in Kypseli with arts projects

and local participation

Smaller exhibitions like Atopos, film festivals, entrepreneurship seminars

Foundation of the Center for the support of entrepreneurship

http://www.developathens.gr/el/node/399 (supported by Develop Athens

and Technopolis (InnovAthens hub)

http://www.developathens.gr/el/node/399



November 24-25 2016

• Boost during the Olympics 2004

• Transport infrastructure

• Major renewal schemes especially

Pedestrianization-unification of

archeological sites

• The Acropolis Museum

FINAL MASTERPLAN OF OLYMPIC INSTALLATIONS

ACROPOLIS

The historic Centre

ACROPOLIS

The historic Centre



November 24-25 2016

Several elements for a potential strategy :

• Need for effective and consistent development control

• Need for effective and consistent land use planning

• Need for effective and consistent accessibility planning

• Vacant land and abandoned property inventory

• Voluntary cleanup program

• Targeted use of development authorities BIDs

• Action zones focused on blight and vacant properties

• Reformed judicial tax system

• Local land banks- Land Trusts

• Parallel use of the compulsory purchase orders

• Split-rate taxation

• Rehabilitation codes

• Directed initiatives (Social Innovation-Arts)



November 24-25 2016

• Taxation where properties do not pay taxes reducing

public revenues potentially important to introduce a local

taxation system

• Compulsory purchase and /or acquisition of blighted

properties. Changes to the rules easing cities’

acquisitions of property (e.g. Olympics in Athens)



November 24-25 2016

• Land banks and community land trusts:

• Public action to enable land banking can aid localities in the acquisition and redevelopment of property assets.

– a. Land banks acquire abandoned properties with the goal of returning them to productive use.

– b. Community Land Trusts as non profit corporations that acquire property through direct purchase, partnerships with government-based land banks, donation, and other means. CLTs may make land available for affordable housing, community gardens, playgrounds, economic development activities, or open space.

– Acquire landed assets on a leasehold basis repair and transfer their use for a defined period (e.g. students housing, migrants) and return them to the owners in a future time. Some initiatives in progress by the municipality for homeless, the Red Cross and NGOs/ EU funds for migrants

• Split-rate taxation:

split-rate property taxation divides taxation into two parts:

one for land, and another for improvements on the property.

Taxes are also reduced on buildings to encourage

improvements and renovations. Taxes are increased,

meanwhile, on land as a means of discouraging land

speculation.



November 24-25 2016



November 24-25 2016

• Building Rehabilitation Codes:

Introducing new building codes to overcome the

barriers they create for reinvestment in existing

buildings.



November 24-25 2016

• Public infrastructure incentives and various financing tools, designed to promote infill development and curb suburban sprawl.

– a. State enterprise zone programs can provide incentives for land development, LÁs may boost local redevelopment efforts with traditional financial mechanisms.

– b. State-authorized development authorities can levy and collect taxes, issue bonds, and receive public and private grants to promote economic development activities.

– c. Tax increment financing is used to generate needed funds for the redevelopment of particular districts, whether those identified in a renewal plan, or others targeted by the local government.



November 24-25 2016

Business improvement districts (BIDs)

• to remedy challenges not addressed by local

governments, BIDs can require property owners or

businesses in particular areas to pay special taxes

that are used to fund various district

improvements. BIDs in the U.S. and Germany

finance activities ranging from physical

improvements to social services.



November 24-25 2016

• Some directions of action (thoughts)….

New investments against central area

(Opera National Library, Former Airport

site)

• Broader metropolitan action and

• Targeted action on distinct neighbourhoods and

local assets.

• An integrated local development rationale



November 24-25 2016

• The potential embedded in the cultural

domain is now conditioned by mass

tourism (tourist flows – consumption)

• No study of the existing potential

• No interconnection with local groups and

SMEs

• The array of arts initiatives not placed

within a broader rationale-independent

actions that are easily lost

•

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