Polis and Chora: Recalibrating Natural and Urban Harmony in Porto Rafti

Abstract

The landscape of Attica in Greece suffers rapidly progressing urban sprawl in a culture of over privatization. In the absence of proper legislation, corruption and poor implementation of existing laws, the consequences of allowing unplanned settlements to emerge unhindered in Athens and its periphery are now palpable and irreversible. This thesis illustrates that the continuous fragmentation of the ground plane into easily consumable land for private development does not bring about social progress, as is advocated by its proponents. The unregulated contemporary consumptive way of life essentially leads directly to the collapse of civil society through the silencing of the public voice in the propagation of settlements devoid of both natural and urban public space. Consumption of natural resources at an unsustainable rate pollutes and destroys the delicate ecological balance, generating a situation of crisis which simply feeds the cycle of urbanization. This thesis presents a critical examination of the unique conditions affecting the development of Athens and its periphery, and the resulting ecological and social pressures in order to establish a case for a socially and environmentally sustainable urban intensification and the creation of vital public spaces. A paradigmatic vision is presented for the rapidly developing ecologically sensitive coastal town of Porto Rafti, based on restoring a harmonious coexistence of natural and urban realms.