Μake us preferred on Google Athens will take center stage at a two-day forum exploring the Greek capital’s history, present-day challenges and future development, with political leaders, academics, architects, writers and other prominent figures set to take part.
“Dialogues for Athens: From Myth to the Modern City” will be held on October 6 and 7 at the Great Hall of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,.
The conference will open with an address by President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tassoulas. The first day will focus on Athens’ past, while the second will examine the city’s present and future.
From ancient Athens to modern democracy
The opening day will begin with introductory remarks by Gerasimos Siasos, rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Periklis Dimitrolopoulos, executive editor of TO VIMA; and Symeon G. Tsomokos, founder and president of the Delphi Economic Forum.
The program will then turn to the history of Athens, including a discussion of the book series “The Great History of Athens,” featuring academics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Historian and author Bettany Hughes will discuss “Athens as Seen by Others,” followed by a conversation between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and author and classics scholar Daniel Mendelsohn on “From Myth to the Modern City – Greek Democracy’s Opportunities and Challenges.”
The first day will also feature narrations and reenactments of the Trial of Socrates and the Sicilian Expedition, as well as discussions examining Athens’ position between East and West and its contribution to economic growth.
Other sessions will address the role of universities within the urban fabric and political moments in the city’s history. Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, former Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos and former European Commissioner Maria Damanaki will take part in a discussion on Athens’ political history and memory.
The day will conclude with a conversation featuring Kyriakos Pierrakakis, president of the Eurogroup and Greece’s minister of economy and finance, on creating a city of equal opportunities.
Athens today
The second day will shift to the city’s present, beginning with a welcome address by Parliament President Nikitas Kaklamanis and an address by Attica Regional Governor Nikos Hardalias.
The program will include a presentation of a Metron Analysis survey on Athens, followed by discussions involving Athens Mayor Haris Doukas and writer Christos Chomenidis.
Other sessions will examine Athens as Greece’s economic capital, its position compared with other cities, and plans for the city and the country. Participants will include Hellenic Federation of Enterprises Chairman Spyros Theodoropoulos, Greek Tourism Confederation President Agapi Sbokou and PASOK-Movement for Change President Nikos Androulakis.
The forum will also look at everyday life in Athens, including whether the capital is a welcoming or unwelcoming city, as well as the experiences of families raising children there.
Former President Katerina Sakellaropoulou will discuss her personal relationship with the city, while former Labor Minister Effie Achtsioglou, Social Cohesion and Family Affairs Minister Domna Maria Michailidou and other participants will examine the experience of Athenian families.
Looking toward Athens’ future
The afternoon program will focus on the future of the capital, beginning with a discussion on car-free cities featuring MIT Professor of the Practice Kent Larson, architect and professor emeritus Panayiotis Tournikiotis, and former Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis.
Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will discuss plans and prospects for Greece’s capital, followed by a session on the city’s resilience in the face of the climate crisis.
The forum will also explore public spaces, residential development and urban identity, bringing together architects and experts including Manolis Korres, Andreas Giacumacatos, Andreas Kourkoulas and archaeologist Eirini Gratsia.
Art and culture will be another focus, with representatives from the National Theatre of Greece, the National Gallery, the Gennadius Library and the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation discussing the future of culture in the city.
Architect Massimiliano Fuksas will deliver a keynote speech titled “Less Aesthetics More Ethics 2.0,” while landscape architect Bas Smets and architect Alexandra Daliani will discuss the values and principles shaping the city of tomorrow.
The forum will conclude with a conversation between Athens Mayor Haris Doukas and Carlos Moreno, scientific director of the research lab “Entrepreneurship Territory Innovation” at IAE Paris-Sorbonne, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, followed by closing remarks from Dimitrolopoulos and Tsomokos.
The conference will bring together a broad range of figures from Greek public life, academia and the arts, alongside international speakers including Hughes, Mendelsohn, Fuksas, Moreno, Larson and Smets.
