Ninth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Human activity molds the urban reality of a city. We can better understand a city when we realize the way of life of its inhabitants. Rich and varied spatial formations develop within the urban network, just as many as the needs which have to be covered. Interventions in the urban environment are made which present not only spatial but primarily social interest. The study focuses on the city center of Athens. In the first part of the project, the aim is to grasp and perceive the urban environment in which man lives and creates. From the analysis of the study area, backgrounds of study – urban maps are created. In the second part of the research, characteristic spaces showing particular social interest are analyzed. These spaces are depicted through sketches, designs and photographs so that the living space of the people who reside there is understood as well as the structure and their function. From the analysis of the spaces mentioned, spatial and social observations have emerged. Man intervenes in the city and he transforms it, functioning beyond the official rules. He uses the senses, molds the space, so as to make better use of it in the most effective way. As a result, spatial forms and social relations emerge, something which the architect and urban planner cannot predict from the outset. The way in which society creates its living space is the focal point of the discussion.