Neocolonial Urban Development in the Mediterranean: The Case of the Ellinikon
Neocolonial Urban Development in the Mediterranean: The Case of the Ellinikon
Thursday, 10 July 2025: 01:30
Location: ASJE016 (Annex of the Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences)
Oral Presentation
This paper investigates the neocolonial discursive practices surrounding The Ellinikon, the redevelopment project of the former Athens airport. It aims to illuminate the socio-cultural aspects of the project through visual discourse analysis, demonstrating how these aspects reflect a neocolonial logic of domination and dispossession.
The Athenian Riviera has seen revitalization initiatives, particularly the major redevelopment led by LAMBDA Development, which plans to create an expansive urban park, Greece’s first financial community, and mixed-use developments that integrate modern living with coastal recreational spaces. To promote the project, LAMBDA established the Experience Centre within the former airport Hangar C. This exhibition features over 20 interactive installations organized into five thematic areas, showcasing The Ellinikon's innovative vision.
This research contributes to critical urban studies by employing the postcolonial frame as a method for examining the discourse that the West adopted when referring to itself, rather than merely as a means of narrating the postcolony. Within urban studies, this entails further investigation into the political effects of such self-construction and critiques of the teleology of progress and linear modern (urban) development that often accompany it (Roy, 2006. Roy & Ong, 2011) in the urban Mediterranean. This perspective allows for an exploration of the discourse and politics shaping Athens' construction of The Ellinikon, positioning it as a symbol of urban futures envisioned by the developed Western world.
Using visual discourse analysis (Rose, 2001), the paper aims to unveil the ideological narratives of urban modernity promoted through the Experience Centre, highlighting the neocolonial implications inherent in urban development in the Mediterranean.
The Athenian Riviera has seen revitalization initiatives, particularly the major redevelopment led by LAMBDA Development, which plans to create an expansive urban park, Greece’s first financial community, and mixed-use developments that integrate modern living with coastal recreational spaces. To promote the project, LAMBDA established the Experience Centre within the former airport Hangar C. This exhibition features over 20 interactive installations organized into five thematic areas, showcasing The Ellinikon's innovative vision.
This research contributes to critical urban studies by employing the postcolonial frame as a method for examining the discourse that the West adopted when referring to itself, rather than merely as a means of narrating the postcolony. Within urban studies, this entails further investigation into the political effects of such self-construction and critiques of the teleology of progress and linear modern (urban) development that often accompany it (Roy, 2006. Roy & Ong, 2011) in the urban Mediterranean. This perspective allows for an exploration of the discourse and politics shaping Athens' construction of The Ellinikon, positioning it as a symbol of urban futures envisioned by the developed Western world.
Using visual discourse analysis (Rose, 2001), the paper aims to unveil the ideological narratives of urban modernity promoted through the Experience Centre, highlighting the neocolonial implications inherent in urban development in the Mediterranean.