In the Athens Town Hall, in February 1966, the first public debate on a controversial urban planning issue took place, a process unprecedented at the time. Its object:the problem of the future of the old city, the so-called Plaka. Two conflicting perspectives – preservation and protection of the historic quarter, or expropriation and demolition, so that excavations could be carried out – proved irreconcilable. Opposing views were expressed, at the time, by leading figures of the Athenian intelligentsia, urban planners, archaeologists, aestheticians and residents of the area.

The renowned scholar of the urban development of Athens, Professor,
architect-planner Alexandros Papageorgiou-Venetas, brings to light for the first timeTwo conflicting perspectives – preservation and protection of the historic quarter, or expropriation and demolition, so that excavations could be carried out – proved irreconcilable. Opposing views were expressed by leading figures of the Athenian intelligentsia, urban planners, archaeologists, aestheticians and residents of the area.
The renowned scholar of the urban development of Athens, Professor,

Alexandros Papageorgiou-Venetas, architect-planner, brings to light for the first time the extensive unpublished minutes of that historical discussion, in which he participated as chairman, together with an introduction and comments, as well as rare pictorial material. Thus, a forgotten debate and consultation, at a pivotal moment in the history of Plaka, a decade before its successful salvage intervention, is brought to light, offering us an exploration of the identity and unparalleled entity of Athens.