Uploaded on 2014-12-09 by GeorgePapam

I live in Athens, Greece. Athens is a relatively small city of 5 million people. Thus, not many big scale infrastructure projects have taken place. In this photo, one of the biggest infrastructure projects is depicted. Attiki odos highway is a modern highspeed road that connects Athens with its airport and with the peripheral national roads leading to other cities. In parts, rail tracks can be seen parallel to the road. Its the suburban railway making an arc-like track connecting the northern suburbs of the city with both the airport and the Korintos isthmus. Additionally, a big bridge serving local traffic can be seen on the photo. It is obvious that the dependence of the area around and the whole of Athens to this road is significant. Drivers use Attiki odos highway everyday to move faster from places inside the city to the outside of it or vice versa in order to avoid in-city traffic. In addition, all travelers, locals and tourists depend on this infrastructure project as it offers the only way one could move to the airport. The metro, and the suburban railway use part of the tracks following the trace of Attiki odos. The public and private buses as well as the drivers have no other way to reach the airport than this highspeed road. Thus, the city has a great dependency on this piece of infrastructure. At the same time it would be wise to consider the influence this infrastructure project has to the neighboring areas. First of all it constitutes a great separator, a real border, which is difficult and time consuming to overpass (the bridge needed). Secondly, it produces space unfriendly to the pedestrian. Only cars or other kind of transport means can use this kind of space. Finally we have to consider the environmental impact of this piece of infrastructure. Noise, Air Pollution and landscape intrusion are the most important side effects of such a project. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14181576981237987.jpg