Art spaces and urban policy: The integration of art spaces in urban gentrification processes


Published: Jan 31, 2025
Keywords:
Art spaces; art squat; Athens creative city; arts-led gentrification; neoliberal urban enviroment
Styliani Bolonaki
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3648-7650
Abstract

The article focuses on the new art spaces in Athens, which, under the umbrella term of creative initiatives have evolved into factors of the Athenian urban renaissance, employing creativity as a driving force to the socio-economic development of the Athenian districts. The text elaborates on the characteristics of these spaces, analyzing their genealogy and dynamic integration into the city's production,  focusing on the examples of European cities and giving particular emphasis to the model applied in Paris today. The article draws from two epistemological fields: urban studies and the sociology of art, wishing to offer a new perspective on communication channels between art practices and urban politics.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biography
Styliani Bolonaki, National Technical University of Athens

PhD in National Technical University of Athens. Postdoctoral Researcher at the School of Architecture of NTUA

References
Αλεξανδρή, Γ. (2013). Χωρικές και κοινωνικές μεταβολές στο κέντρο της Αθήνας: η περίπτωση του Μεταξουργείου [Διδακτορική διατριβή, Χαροκόπειο Πανεπιστήμιο, Τμήμα Γεωγραφίας] Εθνικό Αρχείο Διδακτορικών Διατριβών. http://hdl.handle.net/10442/hedi/37340
Αστικό Κενό - Συλλογικό (2007). Futura.
Hulot, Μ. (2022, 3 Οκτωβρίου). Δεκάδες νέες γκαλερί στην Αθήνα - Πού οφείλεται το booming της τέχνης;. Lifo. https://www.lifo.gr/culture/eikastika/dekades-nees-gkaleri-stin-athina-poy-ofeiletai-booming-tis-tehnis
Μαλούτας Θ. (2008). Κοινωνική κινητικότητα και στεγαστικός διαχωρισμός στην Αθήνα: Μορφές διαχωρισμού σε συνθήκες περιορισμένης στεγαστικής κινητικότητας. Στο Δ. Εμμανουήλ, Ε. Ζακοπούλου, Θ. Μαλούτας, Ρ. Καυταντζόγλου, Μ. Χατζηγιάννη (Επιμ.), Κοινωνικοί και χωρικοί μετασχηματισμοί στην Αθήνα του 21ου αιώνα (27-60). Εθνικό Κέντρο Κοινωνικών Ερευνών (ΕΚΚΕ). https:/doi.org/10.12681/eitha.194
Παρασίδη, Ζ. (2022, 20 Φεβρουαρίου). Οι νέοι, μικροί και ανεξάρτητοι καλλιτεχνικοί χώροι της Αθήνας. Lifo. https://www.lifo.gr/culture/eikastika/kyriaki-oi-neoi-mikroi-kai-anexartitoi-kallitehnikoi-horoi-tis-athinas
Πούλιος, Δ. (2021). Πόλεις σε Κρίση: Πολιτικά υποκείμενα, διακυβέρνηση και πολεοδομική πρακτική στην Αθήνα και την Βαρκελώνη (2007-2019). Μεθοδολογία και κριτήρια ανάλυσης αστικών πολιτικών [Διδακτορική Διατριβή, Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, Σχολή Αγρονόμων και Τοπογράφων Μηχανικών] Εθνικό Αρχείο Διδακτορικών Διατριβών. http://hdl.handle.net/10442/hedi/49917
Σιατίτσα, Δ. (2014). Αιτήματα για το δικαίωμα στην κατοικία στις πόλεις της Νότιας Ευρώπης: O λόγος και ο ρόλος των κοινωνικών κινημάτων [Διδακτορική Διατριβή, Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, Σχολή Αρχιτεκτόνων Μηχανικών] Εθνικό Αρχείο Διδακτορικών Διατριβών. http://hdl.handle.net/10442/hedi/35495
Σουλιώτης, Ν. (2008). Συλλεκτική δραστηριότητα και δημιουργία πολιτιστικών θεσμών στην Αθήνα: βασικές υποθέσεις και μια μελέτη περίπτωσης. Επιθεώρηση Κοινωνικών Ερευνών, 127, σελ. 103-140. https://doi.org/10.12681/grsr.9879
Σουλιώτης, Ν. (2013). Συμβολική οικονομία στο ιστορικό κέντρο της Αθήνας: αποτίμηση και προοπτικές για μια νέα αστική πολιτική. Στο Θ. Μαλούτας, Γ. Κανδύλης, Μ. Πέτρου, Ν. Σουλιώτης (Επιμ.), Το κέντρο της Αθήνας ως πολιτικό διακύβευμα (σελ. 91-117). Εθνικό Κέντρο Κοινωνικών Ερευνών (ΕΚΚΕ).
Σταυρίδης, Σ. (2018). Κοινός χώρος. Η πόλη ως τόπος των κοινών. Angelus Novus.
Στρατηγική Ανθεκτικότητας της Αθήνας για το 2030 (2017). Τεύχος. https://resilientathens.wordpress.com
Ζευκελή, Δ. (2021, 9 Ιανουαρίου). 2000-2020: 20 σταθμοί στην εικαστική Αθήνα και 20 αξέχαστες Εκθέσεις: Μια επιλεκτική ματιά σε γεγονότα, εκθέσεις και τάσεις που καθόρισαν την εποχή και επηρέασαν την τέχνη και τη στάση του σήμερα. Αθηνόραμα. https://www.athinorama.gr/texnes/2546102/2000_2020_20_stathmoi_stin_eikastiki_athina_kai_20_aksexastes_ektheseis/
Anderson, N., Potočnik, K. & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review and prospective commentary. Journal of Management, 40(5), pp. 1297-1333. doi:10.1177/0149206314527128
Baciak, Μ. (2017, April 17). Footnotes from Athens. E-flux - conversations. https://conversations.e-flux.com/t/footnotes-from-athens-by-mirela-baciak/6508
Balampanidis, D., Maloutas, T., Papatzani, E., Pettas, D. (2019). Informal urban regeneration as a way out of the crisis? Airbnb in Athens and its effects on space and society. Urban Research & Practice, 14(3), pp. 223-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/17535069.2019.1600009
Becker, H. S. (2008). Art words. University of California Press.
Berman, M. (1972). The politics of authenticity: Radical individualism and the emergence of modern society. Atheneum.
Bernt, M., Grell, G., Holm, A. (Eds.). (2013). The Berlin reader: A compendium on urban change and activism. Τranscript Verlag.
Bishop, C. (2006). The social turn: Collaboration and its discontents. Artforum International, 44(6), pp. 178-183. https://www.artforum.com/features/the-social-turn-collaboration-and-its-discontents-173361
Blomley, N. ( 2004). Unsettling the city: Urban land and the politics of property. Routledge.
Bolonaki, S. (2022). Rebranding Athens as the creative city of European south. The contribution of documenta 14. A critical approach. Creative Journal of Creative Practices in Cities and Landscapes, 5(2), pp. 186-200. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2612-0496/13537
Boltanski, L. and Chiapello, E. (1999). Le nouvel esprit du capitalisme. Gallimard.
Bourdieu, P. (1993). The field of cultural production. Essays on art and literature. Polity Press.
Bourriaud, N. (2002). Relational aesthetics. Les presses du Réel.
Brenner, N. and Schmid, C. (2014). The ‘‘urban age’’ in question. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 38(3), pp. 731-755. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.12115
Cameron, S. and Coaffee, J. (2005). Art, gentrification and regeneration - from artist as pioneer to public arts. European Journal of Housing Policy, 5(1), pp. 39-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616710500055687
Crabapple, Μ. (2020, January 20). The attack on Exarchia: An anarchist refuge in Athens. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-attack-on-exarchia-an-anarchist-refuge-in-athens
Day, R. J. F. (2005). Gramsci is dead: Anarchist currents in the newest social movements. Pluto press.
Drake, M. S. (2016). Art squats, artistic critique and resistance: Between recuperation and obliteration. Prace Kulturoznawcze 19. https://doi.org/10.19195/0860-6668/19.3.
Delaney, Β. (2018, 7 January). Athens feels ripe for the forces of gentrification. Just don't mention Berlin. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/07/athens-feels-ripe-for-the-forces-of-gentrification-just-dont-mention-berlin
Ernek, B. (2014). Paris Rive Gauche project: (Re)developping the city on the city. LHI Journal of Land Housing and Urban Affair, 5(3), pp. 123-129. doi: 10.5804/LHIJ.2014.5.3.123
Florida, R. (2002). The rise of the creative class. Basic Books.
Gravereau, S. (2008). Artistes de Belleville: Εntre mondes de l’art et territoires urbains [Διδακτορική διατριβή, School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, Paris]. Thesis France. https://www.theses.fr.2008EHES0096
Hannigan, J. (1998). Fantasy city: Pleasure and profit in the postmodern metropolis. Routledge.
Harvey, D. (2007). Neoliberalism as creative destruction. American Academy of Political and Social Science, 610, pp. 22-44. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25097888
Harvie, J. (2013). Fair play: Art, performance, and neoliberalism. Palgrave.
Hesmondhalgh, D. J. (2008). Cultural and creative industries. In J. Frow and T. Bennett, The Sage handbook of cultural analysis (pp. 553-569). Sage.
Holm, A., Kuhn A. (2011). Squatting and urban renewal: The interaction of squatter movements and strategies of urban restructuring in Berlin. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 35(3), pp. 644-658. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2427.2010.001009.x
European Affairs (2006). The economy of culture in Europe. Study prepared for the European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/culture/library/studies/cultural-economy_en.pdf
Kelly, O. (1984). Community, art and the state: A different prescription. Comedia Publishing Group.
Krivy, M. (2013). Don’t plan! The use of the notion of culture in transforming obsolete industrial space. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 37(5), pp. 1724-1746. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2427.2012.01178
Landry, C. (2017). The civic city in a nomadic world. Nai010 publishers.
Lavanga, M., Loots, E., Konomi, A., Avdikos, V. & Iliopoulou, E. (2020). Creative entrepreneurship and urban space: Exploring the location preferences of creative professionals in Αthens during the economic recession. The Greek Review of Social Research, 153, pp. 5-36. https://doi.org/10.12681grsr.22340
Lextrait, F. (2001). Une nouvelle époque de l’action culturelle. Vol. 1 /Monographie: Archipel de Squats. Ministère de la Culture. https://medias.vie-publique.fr/data_storage_s3/rapport/pdf/014000519.pdf
Ley, D. (2003). Artists, aestheticisation and the field of gentrification. Urban Studies, 40(12), pp. 2527-2544. https://doi.org/10.1080/0042098032000136192
Lindner, C. & Sandoval, G. F. (Eds.). (2021). Aesthetics of gentrification: Seductive spaces and exclusive communities in the neoliberal city. Amsterdam University Press.
McRobbie, Α. (2016). Be creative: Making a living in the new culture industries. Polity.
Manjikian, M. (2013). Securitization of property squatting in Europe. Routledge.
Marcuse. P. (2009). Searching for the just city: Debates in urban theory and practice. Routledge.
Markusen, A. & Gadwa, A. (2010). Creative placemaking. National Endowment for the Arts.
Μalcom M. (2013). A Post-creative city?. Revista crítica de ciências sociais 99, pp. 123-139. https://doi.org/10.4000/rccsar.506
Moore, A. (2015). Occupation culture: Art & squatting in the city from below. Minor Compositions.
Palmer, R. (2018). Athens city resilience through culture, (report). British Council and 100 Resilient Cities. https://www.britishcouncil.gr/sites/default/files/athens-city-resilience-through-culture-full-report-april-2018.pdf
Peck, J. (2012). Austerity urbanism city. Taylor & Francis Journals, 16 (60), pp. 626-655. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13604813.2012.734071
Petit, I. (2012). Squat et urbanisme à Amsterdam: une histoire commune. Passerelle 7(9), pp. 115-119. https://www.citego.org/bdf_fiche-document-775_fr.html
Pratt, A.C. (2018). Gentrification, artists and the cultural economy. In L. Lees & M. Philips (Eds.), Handbook of gentrification studies (346-362). Edward Elgar.
Pratt, A. (2021). Creative hubs: a critical evaluation. City, Culture and Society, 24 (1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2021.100384
Pruijt, Η. (2013) (Ed). Squatting in Europe: Radical spaces, urban struggles. Autonomedia.
Prieur, V. (2015). Revendications des squats d’artistes et institutions, Marges, 20, pp. 74-95. https://doi.org/10.4000/marges.1035
Rikou, E., Yalouri, E. & Lampropoulos, A. (2021). Learning from documenta. Field, (18-19). https://field-journal.com/issue-18-19/learning-from-documenta/
Rolnik, S. (2011). The Geopolitics of pimping. In G. Raunig, G. Ray & U. Wuggenig (Eds), Critique of creativity: Precarity, subjectivity and resistance in the ‘creative industries’ (pp. 23-39). May Fly Books.
Sholette, G. (2011). Dark matter: Art and politics in the age of enterprise culture. Pluto Press.
Smith, N. (2002). New globalism, new urbanism: Gentrification as urban strategy. Antipode, 34(3), 427-450. doi: 10.1111/1467-8330.00249
Sorkin, M. (Ed.). (1992). Variations on a theme park. The new American city and the end of public space. The Noonday Press.
Thörn, H., Wasshede, C. and Nilson, T. (Eds.). (2011). Space for urban alternatives? Christiania 1971-2011. Gidlunds Förlag.
Wilson, E. (2003). Bohemians. The glamorous outcasts. Tauris Parke Paperbacks.
Vivant, Ε. (2009). How underground culture is changing Paris. Urban Research and Practice, 2 (2), pp. 36-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/17535060902727041
Volker, H. (2004). What is art? Conversations with Joseph Beuys. Clairview Books.
Zachara-Szymańska, M. (2021). A postcapitalistic people? Examining the millennial generation’s economic philosophies and practices. Sustainability, 13(7). doi: 10.3390/su13126741
Zervou, R. and Dragouni, m. (2022). Escaping gentrification? The Athenian Metaxourgio grassroots carnival as a contested event. Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.3167/ajec.2022.310208