Jan 2, 2011

Urban Constitution_Village Network

This is the presentation and the urban constitution of: martina vesik / lea serikoff / davide di capua / elena nunez / isabel stella

The proposal urban constitution is based on the concept of different entities that creates a village network.

ARCHEOLOGY

EXISTING BUILDINGS
> The existing, and in many cases, abandoned buildings, should be evaluated by a profes-
sional organization, according to cultural, historical and architectural interest, the state of the
building and the integration with its surrounding. Thereafter it should be decided whether the
building is going to be preserved, renovated or destroyed according to the program of the
villages
> The owner of a building is responsible for the maintainance of his house property and to
make sure it follows the program of the village. If a owner of a building with historical interest
lets it degenerate, the building can come to be exclaimed by the government for restauration

FINDINGS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS
> Since the neighbourhood is located close to the historical city center, the possibility to find
cultural remains is high. The street to Plato's Academy used to run through area B, and it's
built upon the Demosion Sema – a historical graveyard.
> When archaelogical remain are found, they should immediately be evaluated by the local
ephorates or a similar professional organization. Decisions about rescue excavations, preser-
vation or continued new development will be made by them with no more than two weeks of
delay
> For the road to Plato's Academy – Kolonos Hippios, cultural remains are going to preserved
and exhibited along the Platio street according the red points for the villages. In vacant plots,
excavations will be made

PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL INDUSTRIES
>The area has been an industrial neighbourhood with workshops . The historical, industrial
core should be preserved where its relevant. New programs can be applied to former industrial
buildings as in the example of Gazi and the old Silkmill

THE UNIFICATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
> The Grand Promenade should be linked to the Platio street that leads to Plato's Academy to
make a broader network of historical sites through the city
> A new crossing over Pireos street, from Kerameikos archaeological site to area B, will be on
the conditions of the pedestrian and coherent with the Grand Promenade
> The former gas plant buildings in Gazi will become a part of the Grand Promenade. More
than ancient remains should be exposed in the Unification Plan

COHERENT SIGNAGE SYSTEM
> A system of clear and well integrated signage will be applied for archeological sites, historical
buildings and cultural remains through the villages, to be able to spread knowledge and
connect historical points thorugh area B. Profiled extensions for each village can be appliedbe-
tween the inhabitants


ECONOMY

VILLAGES AS ECONOMY MODEL
>Independency of the international finances or state context
>Independency in state management (often corrupted, too generic in it’s decisions and
unefficient)
>Promotion of a more efficient society with communal feeling
>The only examples that can be found in the city of gentrification and improving efficence are
related to neirbouhoods and organisacion in neibourhoods
>Increase the preexistence of a certain zoning in eight different parts in terms of economical

LOCAL FINANCIAL IDENTITY
>Use village identity so as to materialize/locate it in a site that will act as a spot that will
develop the neibourghoods’ financial potential

ECONOMIC DIVERSITY
>Improve the Cultural Institutional development in Rouf as cinema/alternative activities to
constitute a more diverse/interesting/alternative model of tourism that can be an answer to
global world
>Create a space affordable for local enterprises to establish by a specific real state model
>Localize the financial areas and more organized will help to give specific economical support
>Reforce identity will strong their potential and make the area more interesting for the city as
well as visitors
>Social Housing will be dealed by agreements between state and private sector setting
conditions in housing
>Integrate the campus student organizations in the real state activity as far as students
housing and first house issue
>Promote tha arts and Crafts local by establishing a centre/ Atraction Point as a platform for
their publicity
between the inhabitants


IMMIGRATION

IDENTITY
> The identity should be reveal to create a sense of belonging from the inhabitants and a
feeling of integration
> Emphasize the village identity by adapting new programs, activities and atmosphere to the
needs and customs of inhabitants
> Create center of attraction for each village to strengthen the identity and offers the new
programs to the inhabitants
LIVING CONDITIONS
> Revitalize the area to create better living conditions to give the possiblility to take care of the
urban fabric. The urban fabric needs to be no longer damaged
> Renovate the abandoned buildings to increase the offer of social housing and cancel the
ghetto identity
> Revitalize the area to bring people back and make the neighborhood safe and active.
LABOUR MARKET
> Create employement in the construction sector, firstly dedicated to immigrants
> Promote small and diverse entreprises to produce a global mixity market.
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
> Create reception center to help illegal in strategic point in each village immigrants and drug
addicts
> Educate immigrants to integrate them better in the social active life, by creating language
schools, labour schools and workshops
SOCIAL NETWORKS
> Create public spaces to promote the social network, facilitate labour exchange, give support,
reinforced the sense of unity and reinforced common values.
> Create mix interest point for all to promote relations between immigrants and greeks to
integrate the immigrants
between the inhabitants


ENVIRONNEMENT

A GREENER CITY
> Add trees in public spaces to improve quality of life.
> Increase green density by creating usable green public spaces in vacant plots.
> create urban argriculture zone in the south west of area B.
PROMOTE VILLAGE IDENTITY
> Introducing public spaces in each village that serve as social gatherers and catalysors for the
development of the village.
> Attract people back into the city center by using the potential of vacant plots and abandoned
buildings.
PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT
> by introducing a new tram line on Piraeus street and a new train and metro line under the
existing train line.
> creating a loop by linking the Piraeus tram to the existing tram line.
> Use existing parking lots and introducing park and ride parking in important public transport
nodes.
> The bus line should connect to all the metro stop and serve the center of the villages
A MORE PEDESTRIAN CITY
> Delete the pedestrian street and recreate a mixity of circulation based on a pedestiran model
> Minimize excessive boundaries by introducing more crosswalks and pedestrian space to
allow more access in between the villages.
> Accenutate limits in other areas to enhance the identity of the villages.
> Use limits as social connectors in between the villages by introducing green space, pedes-
trian crosswalks and bycicle lanes.


ORGANISATION

CREATE A LOCAL ORGANISATION
> The district delimitation should follow the new limits of the villages
> Urban planning decision need to be planned on a metropolitan level but also a local level by
association related to the state
> The population will have a more decisionnal power on the local level
> A new non gouvermental council of the inhabitant will take place and work togheter with the
district council to prevent the problems of the villages
> Public investment building should be used as a way to develop open competitions
> Public project proposals need to be accepted by the resident population through votations
INTRODUCE NEW BUILDING REGULATION
> The block has a coefficient of maximum density that the urban block can be built
> The land use will be defined for each site or block in a specific case
> A new setback of 1m to the street will be introduce
> The maximum height will be given according to the density typology of villages
> The building height will be specified by a claculation of the specific coefficient of density of
the block and the land use but also by a proportion of 1.5 x (street width)
> A new bigger programatic bloc will be intoduce to define the mixed used street and the
residenial street
> The vacant plot need to be used at least one to create a public space in relationship to the
residential street
> The «polykatoikia» will still be the construction typology model
REDEFINE THE TRANSPORT REGULATION
> New car regulation will be developped
> A new tax for pollution will be introduced
> The city needs to invest in sustainable and clean public transport
> Each villages will have his own regulation and regulation for each street
IMPROVE THE SECURITY
> The City will invest in new public programs to create new public poles (red point)
> The Villages will creates their own security by creating a social network betwwen the citizen
> The Public network should be use in a way to developp the social integration and interaction
between the inhabitants

Urban Constitution_Votanikos City

Hello and happy new year! It has been more than a week since our final presentation in Lausanne (the 22nd of December).
This is the presentation and the urban constitution of our team: Eva, Inês, Marta, Pierre, Sizhou.


Athens is at an important moment of its history and developing Votanikos could help change Athens for the best.
Votanikos is part of Eleonas, an historical area at less than 2 km of the Acropolis. Due to its situation between the river and the railroad, it is a gap in the middle of the urban fabric of Athens. Eleonas used to be a sacred olive grove until the 18th century, but from the 80’s it turned into a deprived industrial zone. Divided between 5 municipalities, Votanikos is nowadays a forgotten part of the city with contrasted aspects. On the one hand, it is unstructured, unwelcoming and degraded because of its lack of cohesion and infrastructures, on the other hand its former rural history and its neglected aspect generates high quality spaces. The botanical garden and the Agricultural University of Athens are two of these oasis lost in the industrial fabric. Furthermore some small plots of housing are developed as islands for community life. Votanikos has very few historical remains, nevertheless small churches are scattered around. Iera Odos, literally meaning “sacred road”, is the main road that connects the west highway with central Athens. It used to be a processional way from the antique cemetery of Kerameikos to Eleusis’ Temple.
The Urban Constitution for Votanikos proposes a framework for the future development that re-connects Votanikos with the city. The objective is to turn the neighborhood into a high quality environment of living while keeping its own identity.

The proposal is constituted of two intervention principles:
- an urban design area: “Step on stripes”
- areas only under the control of regulations: “Step by step”


Main objectives
- Take advantage of the existing
- Repeat and emphasize working schemes and behaviors
- Encourage the transformation of Votanikos by developing its infrastructures
- Increase the attractiveness

Step on stripes
- Take advantage of historical remains : Reveal Iera Odos by making it mainly pedestrian
- Revitalize and reveal the stream : Draw a new city-scale bank promenade through Eleonas
- Completion of the stadium : the stadium will stand next to New Iera Odos and the bank
promenade, integrated into the sport stripe
- Injection of a new program : Create a local polarity. Missing programs of Athens: Institu-
tions, museums, cultural centers, etc implanted along Iera Odos thus completing the existing
strip

Step by step
- Keep the existing urban fabric. Create a network of new pedestrian-friendly roads by com-
pleting the existing network
- Improve public transport: new metro station on Iera Odos, bus lines redrawn in order to im-
prove accessibility
- Redefinition of public-private boundaries through building regulations: Public squares are
patios surrounded by private parcels (“Public patios”), integrated into the community life of
each plot
- Enhance use and maintenance of public spaces: Encourage appropriation of “public pa-
tios” by the communities. Public squares are accessible through servitudes
- Facilitate pedestrian circulation: unified paths (no sidewalks), green environment