Uploaded on 2015-05-22 by DimIoss

Syndagma Square, Athens-Greece 1. Visible: Parliament Building with its main touristic spot, the unknown soldier monument. Syndagma Square with entry to the station, main node of newly- built Athens metro. Athens Plaza and Hotel Grande Bretagne on the left, two of the highest-end hotels of downtown Athens. Traffic congestion on the main avenues accessing the center of Athens, photo was taken on an off-peak hour, which is the exception rather than the rule. 2. Invisible: Big amount of tourist buses parked directly in front of the parliament show both the high attraction of the area and the lack of touristic flow facilities: moving tourists between sightseeing spots is quicker by bus which adds traffic congestion. Big amount of taxis (I count 12 out of 30 cars on a 50m road section) circulating on downtown boulevards: taxi is still the quickest and cheapest mean to commute short distances in the center which adds another layer of traffic congestion. 3. Every tourist that has ever visited Athens would agree that despite its incredibly rich archeological heritage and multiple sightseeing spots, the center of the city is poorly structured to facilitate visitors’ roaming, optimize pedestrian itineraries and increase their exploring experience. Despite a lot of past effort to create pedestrian zones, develop public transportation and limit traffic access in the center of Athens, both invisible information that I highlighted illustrate a remaining gap in terms of planning pedestrian flow from/to the main commuting spots of the historical center. Such flow could be improved by further leveraging public transportation (continuous development of metro network and its frequency, further extension of tram lanes into the heart of the historical center) as well as further extending pedestrian zones and mainly creating or improving pedestrian-friendly urban itineraries. A city truly planned and designed for the pedestrian citizen/visitor rather than for the mechanical commuter. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/143233827857125.jpg