Contemporary urban transformation is not a neutral technical process, as it is often presented by dominant discourse, but a political arena of intense conflicts for the determination of space, economy, and society. Thessaloniki is no exception to this rule.
In neighbourhoods and squares, practices of social movements, commons, and solidarity are emerging, redefining the relationship with public space. These are not limited to momentary protests but often crystallize into permanent structures: from the Urban Planning Committee of the Karatasou Park neighbourhood to the Organizing Committee for the Referendum on the Thessaloniki International Fair (ΔΕΘ), and from self-managed social spaces to cooperatives across the city. These practices—with their limits and difficulties—test and implement different everyday realities for the city, thus producing a different urban imaginary based on collective claims and solidarity.
In contrast to these images of participation and democracy, there is also an image of a Thessaloniki transforming to accommodate and serve its new "users": investors and tourist capital.
From the period of the crisis until today, Thessaloniki has been experiencing its own "neoliberalisation": the public sector is shrinking, the state is retreating in favour of the private sector, and the city's needs are being equated with the needs of its investors—see investments and gentrification in the city's western side.
Large-scale technical infrastructures and projects are implemented through fast-track procedures and decisions, bypassing any reactions and resistance from the city's residents and movements. Quite often, it is not clear at what scale the city's major projects are planned or by which bodies they are decided—see the flyover project—while at other times, these projects clash with the city's existing functions. Public consultation for choosing one "developmental" priority over another is either done pro forma or—in many cases—not done at all.
Social infrastructures and housing are being transformed to meet the needs of thousands of visitors and tourist capital, as is happening in so many cities across Greece. Hotels, hospitality, and entertainment services come to the fore, displacing traditional commerce and the housing of the poorer social strata.
The conference "City in transformation - Urban policies and social participation" implemented by commonspace and participatoryLAB with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Thessaloniki Office, seeks to investigate the above issues. Following the recent conference in Athens, we study the city through its transformations and conflicts, through its geography, history, economy, and productive forces.
From Thursday, March 26th, until Sunday, March 29th, we will meet at MOMus and other locations across the city to analyse and understand contemporary urban transformations in Thessaloniki. The program includes discussions, workshops, site visits, and exhibitions both inside and outside the museum space.
We will converse with researchers, specialized scientists, social movements, and citizen initiatives to strengthen those practices that posit the city as a space of collectivities and democratic pluralism, multiple identities, and encounters.
We invite you to participate to discuss and collectively create a heterogeneous yet persistent space for social participation regarding the urban questions of Thessaloniki.
Scientific Committee
Sofia Adam Assistant Professor, Department of Social Policy, Democritus University of Thrace
Evangelia Athanasiou Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Thanos Andritsos Architect-Urban Planner, commonspace
George Velegrakis Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Crete, commonspace
George Gritzas Professor, Department of Spatial Planning and Development Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Co-Space LAB, Director of the Hellenic Open University Postgraduate Program "Social and Solidarity Economy"
Platon Isaias Assistant Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Alexandros Koupkiolis Professor, Department of Political Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Aliki Kosyfologou PhD in Political Science, commonspace
Dionysis Latinopoulos Professor, Department of Spatial Planning and Development Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Co-Space LAB
Alexandros Pazaïtis Researcher, P2P Lab & Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology
Maria Partalidou Professor, Department of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Dimitris Poulios Dr. Architect-Urban Planner, commonspace
Socrates Seitanidis Spatial Planning Engineer & Researcher, Co-Space LAB
Panagiota Sergaki Professor, Department of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Eirini-Erifyli Tzekou Researcher, Co-Space LAB
Loukas Triantis Assistant Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Panagiotis-Arion Hatziprokopiou, Associate Professor, Department of Spatial Planning and Development Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Co-Space LAB
Charis Christodoulou Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The conference is organised by paricipatoryLAB, commonspace with the support of
Heinrich Böll Foundation – Thessaloniki Office