The Void of Urban Experimentation in Athens' Megalos Peripatos
I have been recently invited by the Greek Newspaper Kathimerini to provide an opinion piece about the controversy surrounding the extensive pedestrianisation 'experiment' in Athens, Greece, known as the " Megalos Peripatos " ( Great Walk ). In my argument, I contend that if such a pedestrianisation plan is: 1️⃣ implemented merely as a 'traffic' or 'design' experiment, 2️⃣ conducted with a paternalistic, top-down approach incorporating pseudo-participatory processes, 3️⃣ not integrated into a broader strategy aimed at reducing car usage and enhancing both the urban environment and accessibility to degraded urban areas. 4️⃣ promoted solely as a technical project to enhance the 'image' of central Athens to the world, neglecting the social, economic, and environmental conditions of the city in the post-crisis era, 5️⃣ planned outside institutionalised processes, or in an ad-hoc manner, where powerful private and public entities and individuals