FUTURE OUTLOOKCapitalising the gains from Athens 2004 Olympic Games for the competitiveness of

Athens Metropolitan Area (AMA) in Post-Olympic era

Based on the strengths and opportunities:• Valuable cultural heritage and infrastructure - internationally recognised as a tourist destination -

Important natural environment, recently upgraded hotel infrastructure and proximity-links to the islands

• Overall planning of urban development in Athens due to the Olympics process- improvement of the transport infrastructure

• Universal increase of thematic tourism • Capitalising on the success of the Olympics, and putting the emphasis on modern culture events

all year round - promoting the permanent hosting of mega-events -Post-Olympic use of the Olympic facilities

• Modernisation of infrastructure in fields of new technology, development of e-commerce and e-sales

• Managing and promoting the hosting of conferences in the city through establishing a relevant body and public-private partnership schemes, capitalising on the existence of education and research institutions, and enterprises capable of organising conferences

We are planning actions for• The development of a grand conference centre through a public-private partnership (PPP) in the

Faliron Olympic Complex• Preservation, upgrade and promotion of the cultural heritage (archaeological sites, museums,

cultural and sport parks)• Reinforcement and promotion of modern cultural activities through the utilisation of Olympic

facilities, industrial buildings or the support of existing facilities• Spatial interventions of metropolitan importance by also motivating public-private partnerships

(PPP)• Support for an overall communication policy and coordination for publicity actions

Spatial interventions of Metropolitan importance• The completion and expansion of the “Unification of

Archaeological Sites” programme for the whole of the metropolitan area.

• Upgrading the Athens and Piraeus metropolitan centre, combined with programmes for connecting archaeological sites and unifying urban green spaces.

• Regenerating the city’s and the Suburban Coastal Zone’s seafront through integrated programmes of regeneration, in the direction of sports – tourist – cultural land use.

• Regenerating the area of “Eleonas” through the development of business parks, Public Administration and Transport facilities, as well as green spaces and areas dedicated to leisure, sports and culture.

• Regenerating the metropolitan area’s gateways – especially the South and the West gateway

• Development of metropolitan parks (old airport of Hellinikon, Goudi and Attiko Alsos) with land uses such as leisure, culture and sports Development of suburban metropolitan regional parks.

• Development Projects around central transport hubs and Metro-Suburban Railway stations.

• Regenerating areas around Olympic facilities in relation to programmes for their post-Olympic use.

• Regeneration programme for the general area of “Piraeus Harbour”, in relation to uses such as leisure, culture, sports, housing and a Nautical Business Centre.

• Regeneration programmes aiming in organising and upgrading local centres of metropolitan and historical importance.

CONCLUSIONSLessons learned throughout the implementation 1985 Structure Plan and Athens

2004 Olympic Games

Twenty years after the adoption of Athens Structural Plan

• we know that it was based on land use zoning and has no meaningful statutory powers

• we have an evaluation of the extent to which its objectives have been met, the timeliness of its particular choices and its capability to deal with the new realities and prospects of the city

• it is obvious that we need metropolitan overview and mechanisms for the whole of Athens Metropolitan Area (AMA)

Two years after the Athens 2004 Olympic Games

• we have the first experience in aiming to sustain the momentum of the economic, social and environmental improvements generated by the Games, as well as promoting the post- Olympic use of the Olympic facilities

• important steps are being made in the direction of evolving and expanding the metropolitan strategy, which was developed in the process of preparing the city for the Olympic Games

• we are advancing on the framework needed for the coordination between ministries, different layers of government, as well as the cooperation and partnerships between different development players, such as the public, private, community and voluntary sectors