- Governing and Managing Metropolitan Areas :The Case of Athens   66 kb by    Beriatos, Elias | beriatos@prd.uth.gr    Short Outline This paper attempts a brief analysis in order to investigate the possibilities and preconditions for establishing metropolitan government in the Greater Athens metropolitan area. Abstract In spite of the situation in Europe, north America as well as in a large part of the third world, where many countries have already experienced some kind of metropolitan government, in Greece, a substantive debate (and the relevant controversy) regarding the management of large urban centres and metropolitan areas, began only a few years ago. For this reason there is a lack of practical achievements and experience on the matter. As a result the two metropolitan areas of the country (Greater Athens and Thessaliniki) remain two of the most unmanaged cities in European Union. Until today there is no administrative structure for the government and /or governance of the greatest city of the country. This paper attempts a brief analysis in order to investigate the possibilities and preconditions for establishing metropolitan government in the Greater Athens metropolitan area. Initially, on the basis of a number of criteria concerning both its international prestige and its internal organisation and functioning, there has been an attempt to evaluate Athens’ position/place in the international context. This assessment is made with the aim of showing the type of planning and development strategy as well as the role of the bodies involved in this effort. Secondly there has been an attempt to investigate the basic principles and alternative possibilities of administrative restructuring and the creation of a metropolitan government based on Athens’ geographical, socioeconomic, cultural, administrative and political features and particularities. Finally reference is made to the nature and role of the only existing legal entity concerning physical planning (Environmental Protection and Planning Agency of Athens) in the light of the twenty years of experience gained since it began operating, in relation to the prospect of creating a sustainable metropolitan authority for this area . Keywords Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2004: Management of Urban Regions   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper