(ένα ενδιαφέρον κείμενο για τους ελεύθερους χώρους στον Πειραιά)

THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN URBAN AREAS

By Irene THEODOSSIOU-DRANDAKI, Msc

INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL EXPLORATION, 70, MESSOGHION STR. ATHENS 11527, GREECE

ABSTRACT

The natural environment is, in people’s mind, out of the cities, and could not belong to the urban environment. It is separated, far from the cities. As a consequence, people are very surprised when speaking of geoconservation or geological heritage inside urbanized areas, just in their doorstep.

Living in towns and cities does not mean that we have to renounce completely our relation with nature. On the contrary, town-dwellers need an every day contact with nature. This contact improves the quality of human life.

Of course in some modern cities this demand will be hard to achieve in short term, but it should be a long-term aim, through a conservation and protection of free spaces policy. Such a policy has to be incorporated in all other policies. The result will be the harmonious coexistence of nature and city.

In the case of Pireas, the main international harbor and one of the biggest cities in Greece, the conditions are far from being sufficient concerning the above mentioned problematics.

However Pireas is a very nice city by nature, degraded by men.

Few natural sites are left, always under threat regime because of the pressure of other priorities and the high ground prices.

The rapid disappearance of sites and consequently the irreversible loss of information is between the geoscientific issues in relation with the modern cities that should be included in the urban geology topics.

INTRODUCTION

The urban environment is considered, even in the traditional geological thinking, to be incompatible with the natural environment and the nature conservation, especially

with geological environment and geoconservation. Things are only slightly different, concerning wild plants or animals. However it’s still in the news on TV or the newspapers, when a fox appears in the fringe of Athens!

But as far as the ecological thinking advances we become more familiarized with the nature and its conservation in our vicinity.

RATIONALE FOR URBAN NATURAL SPACES

Living in towns and cities does not mean that we have to renounce completely our relation with nature. On the contrary, we need an every day contact with nature, without making a special effort for it. This contact improves the quality of human life.

In Britain, a country with long tradition in nature conservation, English Nature, one of the State Conservation Advisory Bodies, recommends that people living in towns and cities should have: An accessible natural greenspace less than 300 meters (in a straight line) from home; Statutory Local Nature Reserves provided at a minimum level of one hectare per thousand people; At least one accessible 20 hectare site within 2 km of home, one accessible 100 hectare site within 5 km from home; and one accessible 500 hectare site within 10 km from home.

Accessible natural greenspace is land, water or geological features which has been naturally colonized by plants and animals and which is accessible on foot to large numbers of people.

Of course in some modern cities this demand will be hard to achieve in short term, but it should be a long-term aim, through a conservation and protection of free spaces policy. Such a policy has to be incorporated in all other policies. The result will be the harmonious coexistence of nature and city.

Concerning geoconservation and geological heritage, this policy has an additional reason to be put into practice. The reason is that without geoconservation and geological heritage considerations in all aspects of urban life, the geological testimonies of the local environment become more and more rare and finally they will totally disappear, if not so far. Missing these testimonies means that there are no sites to conclude the geological history of the area, the history of million of years before man’s advent and its relation with the historical time. There are no sites not only for the maintenance of the natural qualities and characteristics, but even the few sites needed for education purposes are missing, so pupils have to go away to meet natural sites.

A decisive way for the success and the feasibility of this demand is, if environmental issues are integrated and of priority in planning perception and if the objectives of sustainable development are taken seriously into consideration and unsustainable trends are eliminated. Surpassing the environmental carrying capacity, in no way means amelioration of life. It means an abuse in real needs and realistic wants, it is the concept of “Hybris” of the ancient Greeks.

Sustainability in this context means that urban planning provides for the maintenance of the environment natural qualities and characteristics, and its capacity to fulfill its full range of functions, including the maintenance of geodiversity and biodiversity. Urban planning should provide at least for the maintenance of the critical natural capital, and the constant natural assets. According to English Nature definition, by critical natural capital is meant : ‘’the aspects of the native biodiversity that cannot readily be displaced, such as ancient woods’’, while constant natural assets are ‘’those aspects that should not be allowed, in total, to follow below minimum levels, but which could be created elsewhere within the same Natural Area, such as other types of woodlands.

Regarding the geological environment, the critical natural capital could be ‘’the minimum of the geological sites that can represent the geological history of the urban area and cannot readily be replaced’’, whereas the constant natural assets could be

‘’ the sites that can be replaced by other similar sites, within the same area, in case of destruction, but which should not be allowed to fall below a minimum level, in total’’.

Some very important geological sites are in urban environment. More precisely in England in 1990, from a total of 3383 SSSI’s, 101 are urban sites, 755 urban fringe sites (1 km from urban area), 21 urban coastal sites, 95 urban fringe coastal sites (9.7).

EXISTING SITUATION IN MODERN CITIES

Today the population of earth is 5.4 billions while in 2025 will be 8.2 billions.

More specifically the population of coastal areas in the Mediterranean area has increased in 50 years 250 millions reaching at 450 millions, while in 2025 will be 570 millions. During the summer period a number of 180 millions increasing continuously, is added, resulting to the unplanned urbanization of most of them.

Besides, in all Europe, although with slower rates comparing to the past, the urbanization continues.

Along with the increasing scale of urbanization, the degradation of the urban natural environment and of the countryside around, which has been swallowed up, also is increasing. As a consequence the natural and cultural heritage is hit.

In 1995 an inventory of the European Environmental Agency showed that 70-80% of the European cities with more than 500.000 habitants don’t fulfill the quality specifications of the World Health Organization

Today, in most of the modern cities there is shortage of free spaces for the citizens to relax, aspirate clear air, to walk in places with natural vistas and visual variety and for the children to play and learn. The pedestrians, also, are in a very disadvantage situation. Especially in the large industrial cities there is shortage of public open spaces for the use of the working classes.

The habitants of the urban centers are preoccupied more and more with the quality of the environment they live and the absence of nature in their everyday life. Their concern is both moral and aesthetic, because the idea that nature is good is instinctively accepted, as it is also accepted the fact that emotional, physical, intellectual and social are the personal benefits which are obtained from nature (9.2).

THA CASE OF PIREAS

In the case of Pireas (Fa-1), the main international harbor and one of the biggest cities in Greece, the conditions are far from being sufficient concerning the above mentioned problematics and standards.

However Pireas is a very nice city by nature, degraded by men.

Few natural sites are left, always under threat regime because of the pressure of other priorities and the high ground prices.

Through these sites, not more than a handful, some of which are framed in concrete, functioning as windows in the geological time (Fd), the geology of the area appears in shortcuts. The primordial criterion for the conservation and promotion of these sites is mainly their rarity.

There is no time to loose because the whole area is under conditions of drastic interventions and rapid changes of its character. A lot of public works projects are in progress due to Olympic games of 2004, which transform the structure of the area.

Geologically (1) Pireas consists mainly of Quaternary alluvial deposits as clays, sand, gravel, originated from Kifissos river (Fa-2), which nowadays is only partly in the open air, the other part being hidden along Kifissos road. Pliocene marly limestones and sandstones cover a big part of the area, as well. These are transgressive sediments of marine or coastal facies. At their base conglomerates (pebble size 5-20 cm), intercalations of sandstones and sandy marls are present. Their upper members alternate with lacustrine and terrestrial formations, mainly conglomerates. The thickness of the formation is 60-80 m.

Morphologically the main area of Pireas is a peninsula, the Piraiki peninsula (Fa-3, Fb-1), that enters the Saronic gulf, up to 2.5 km long and it is connected to the mainland northwards, by the Kifissos alluvial plain. This is the reason they say in historical books that Pireas used to be an island, once upon a time. But it is geological and not historical this upon the time. Three natural ports, one of them the main port, Kantharos (Fa-4, Fb-2) and two smaller, Zeas port (Pashalimani) (Fa-5, Fb-3) and Mounichia port (Tourkolimano) (Fa-6, Fb-4), together with the Mounichia hill (Profitis Ilias) (Fb-5), 86.6 m and Kallipoli hill (Fb-6), 57.7 m, make up the whole scenery of Pireas.

Historically Pireas (2) has been inhabited since the ancient times and it is connected with the history of Athens, selected as its haven, since 493 B.C., by the politician and hero of the persian wars Themistocles. As a consequence of this choice, continuous fortifications, shipyards, dry-docks, street-tracing by the famous architect Ippodamos in Pericles period, and other buildings and public works date from that period, today remnants here and there. The city of Pireas was destroyed by the roman Syllas in 86 B.C.

The history of new Pireas starts, essentially, in 1829, with the installation of its first inhabitants, and officially in 1835 with the foundation of the municipality in a period that the population of the region is not more than 300 habitants. At the end of 19^th , beginning of 20^th century, Pireas is considered by the visitors as the most modern city in Greece.

The massive arrival of refugees in 1922 and the urban attraction the first decades after the second world war have transformed significantly the area. These events have been engraved in its planning structure. This was the case of other greek cities, as well.

Today Pireas is a center of transportation and commerce, known worldwide.

As it is already mentioned the geological sites are very rare inside the urban area. Efforts have been made to promote geoconservation in certain of these few sites. The most important between them are:

In the small hill of Kastraki (more precisely what remains of the small hill, after quarrying previously and trying to level it, afterwards), the Hietionia gate (Fb-7), in the western edge of the main harbor, we paid a lot of attention for the preservation of the small geological section appearing there. The site consists of marine Pliocene deposits (Fc). The horseshoe-like shape of the hill today, is due to weathering, tectonism and human activity (3). Features of the extensional tectonic activity of Pliocene age, e.g. a normal open fault with obvious jump, are obvious. The opening of the fault has been filled in a posterior phase with sandy and silty material. Sedimentation features also occur.

Historically it is a very important site, because it is a monument, part of the Themistoklian ‘’Long Wall’’(496 B.C.) (Fb-8, Fe-1) that connected Pireas (Fe-2) with Athens (Fe-3), destroyed by Lysandros in 404 B.C., reconstructed by Konon afterwards, together with a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, and by Lykourgos later on (337 B.C.). Its name Hietionia Gate is after the mythical hero Hietion, who first conquered the area. It is good to mention here that most toponyms of Pireas originate from mythical heroes like Phaleron-Phaleros, Mounichia-Mounichos, Hietionia-Hietion, Phreattyda-Phreatos, Alkimos etc. A gate with two monumental towers (pylones) used to be the entrance to the Hietionia peninsula. The wall used to continue in this small peninsula to the sea, where it was connected with the wall of the other side of the harbor, to form together the entrance of the port, used to close with chains, when needed.

In modern times, the wider area has played a role during the greek evolution, the previous century.

In 1922, the refugees from Asia Minor installed in the area, the small hill was partly built and gradually the ancient remains of the towers and part of the gate were demolished, a demolition that was completed during the bombing of Pireas in 1944 and the burring of the remains that followed.

Today, public works have been undertaken in the area, an 157 acres surface of ex-industry zone along the coast. Shipping and commercial centers, as well as some athletic centers are planned to be structured in the wider, under development area, in places where used to be fertilizer industries.

If planning is well done the area will enjoy economic as well as social prosperity. In that way the song ‘’… in Drapetsona we don’t have life any more..’’ will remain only a song. And we are trying for that.

The area of Kastraki, 3,5 acres surface, belongs to the Organization of Pireas harbor, and it is ceded to the municipality of Drapetsona (Fa-7), next to Pireas, to be developed. As the harbor will change to tourist, passengers port, the significance of the site becomes bigger, for tourist purposes, as well.

As it is already mentioned, the site is primarily, an archeological site of great importance but at the same time with sound geological features for education mainly purposes.

The criteria for the conservation and promotion of the site, not only as archeological monument but also as a geotope are the following:

This site has an undoubtless historic value, but from the geological point of view, also, it has a significant educational-pedagogical character. The reason is that geological sites are rare in this urban area. For the geology courses of the students in the area, notions like geological bed, bed thickness, beds alternation, ancient sea level, fault, normal fault, strike and dip of beds, fault opening, fault jump, extensional tectonism, differential weathering, to mention some of them are very obvious and can be very easily understood. As at the same time geological occurrences are very rare, the above mentioned consists a priceless testimony of the geological history of the area.

Besides its didactic value, as the geological and tectonic features appearing in the cross-section are very apparent, easily understood and explained, the visibility and the accessibility of the site are very good. Consequently, students can have their geological courses in the doorstep of their school, there is no reason to go far away.

Therefore the proper management of the site is an imperative for the sake of the students of the area, but also for the wider environmental education. In that way they will learn physically the remote past of the area, millions of years before the man advent, and they will appreciate more Geology, the science that examines the origin of the world and of the human being. The argument that Greece is full of relevant sites is possibly true, but in big cities and urban areas, natural sites are more and more rare. This means that in these areas even a small piece of ground has its value and should be protected. Urban ground is a priceless capital and should be conserved.

Our proposal is geoconservation considerations and not only archeological aspects to be taken into consideration for the management of the site with small plants in defined places. Explicative signs decoding the information written in the nature’s creatures and on the man’s works, both valuable, will give an explicit idea of the geological and the historical time, their relation, the scale of its one.

The effort we have made is to integrate geoconservation in the shaping of the hill and to reconcile it with the other interests, as well as to acquire a common language with other specialists in an interdisciplinary approach, and the local authorities, involving environmental sensibility and elegant management.

In this way the site will become a marvelous example of respect to the knowledge and consequently to heritage, as the heritage conservation requires knowledge. It will also become an example of inter-scientific, integral approach, and it will be involved in the modern city, unifying the aesthetics of the city with its uses and its development. A site for leisure and adventure for Drapetsona and Pireas inhabitants, especially if it is combined with other sites, in a network following the geological history of the broader area. These networks give a good matrix in which key nodes, everybody can sit comfortably and enjoy nature near to where he lives.

Other advantages of the site are its vicinity to the sea and the indisputable view that offers to the harbor as well as from the boats to the site.

Archeologists as it is evident have undertaken to reshape the spot in their way covering the geological cross-section despite our objections and proposals!

We still hope that the development and upgrading of this special place and the intervention is not only banal tree plantation, but a new concept with our efforts will prevail.

Another very attractive space is the coast of Votsalakia (means small pebbles) (Fb-9), in Kastella area, with the small island of Stalida (or Koumoundouros island) (Fb-10), 50 meters distance from the coast. The geological cross-section of the coast, one of the latest existing in Pireas, belongs to the Pliocene marine-coastal deposits already described above, but with different sedimentation characters.

The small island has archeological, cultural and environmental value. In its 400 m2 surface, more than 26 species of wild, indigenous flora are found, four of which are endemic. The fauna of the island is also worth attention, as it is a refuge for numerous birds. During the Roman times baths with mosaics used to be there (4).

The whole area is a very nice free space and needs urgent protection. Its position is very advantageous concerning the winds, as it is placed in the south side of Profitis Helias hill.

The coast, one of the most beautiful in Attica, along the Saronikos golf, used to be of 20 acres surface (600m. long, 20-100m width), is a special urban landscape, however maltreated from uses without integral planning. Quite recently the area diminished continuously and a lot of concrete is added, as it is given for uses like sport grounds, bar, other small constructions planted rapidly in a day.

Being a citizen of Pireas I feel very preoccupied for the rapid changes, the cement addition, the intensive uses and the occupation of the free space, one of the very few in the city, as well as for the covering of the rocks which embrace the coast (instead of pronouncing them), for the so called ‘embellishment’.

An environmental approach that will stop the rapid changes in the area and will promote the above mentioned parameters and their interrelation is of great urgency.

The preparation at the same time, of an educational package will be of great interest for the teachers and students.

Ten minutes walk to the NE is the small very pittoresque Mounichia port used, nowadays as marina. More to the north, in Dilaveri coast (Fb-11), the newly and quickly developed area has tranformed into an one-function place, full of new entertainment haunts for young people, usually of metamodern style buildings, with no concern for the last geological Pliocene age sections outcropping in the area.

Although Athens and Pireas have a low percentage of free spaces compared to other European big cities-hardly 2-3% of its total surface- these areas gradually disappear due to construction pressure. This percentage, continuously in decrease, is already very low according to international specifications (5).

It is worth to mention here that in the whole of Attica, generally the lower free space percentage characterizes the western, more degraded areas, which are in great contrast with the northern wealthy ones.

More precisely, the percentage of free space per habitant in the city of Pireas is 1.1m2, when the mean for Attica in general, is 6.7 m2.

The total space of the municipality in hectares is 1.101,3, the population (census 1996) 219.500, habitants per hectare houses’ land use 482, leisure area per habitant 1,1m2.

The sustainable development remains in most cases in the papers, the protection of the natural environment and the free spaces, is the most neglected parameter in the urban planning. Therefore a policy to embrace social, economic and environmental issues is needed; the city should be observed as a live ecosystem.

The pessimistic belief that things can not be improved is not true.

The truth is that even in the most overcrowded areas there is possibility for some free spaces allowing for some hope, all the more because most of these areas are of statutory regime and consequently no difficult expropriation procedures are necessary. Pireas a city with the front in the sea has the possibilities to recover and become a sustainable and attractive city for its inhabitants and the tourists, at the moment passengers only, which take the boats for the islands. But all these can become reality with a new concept, with inspiration, utopia and imagination. The casual, without thinking, embellishment intentions, should finish. Environmental innocence is not any more permitted.

Pireas is an international city due to its big port and keeps an international status in navigation. But a city that is international and likes to be so belongs to its inhabitants as well as to all those who want to visit it. There are a lot of things to be done for the sustainability, economic, and environmental upgrading. Its promotion and recession into the world of the international enterprising and tourist interest needs infrastructure regeneration and change to environmentally healthy conditions.

This means, according to the modern views, that urban environment must not be in conflict and antagonism with the natural environment, but to be incorporated in it, and not to transform man of the cities into an artificial hot-cot inmate (6). City and nature should coexist in harmony.

The timing is quite in favor as the urban environment is of the priorities of the European Union after the decisions of Amsterdam, June 1997.

Piraeus inhabitants, according to an inquiry made by the Institute V-PRC feel that their city is abandoned, so they are disappointed from their life in their town. The shortage of free spaces, the degradation of the environment, make them skeptic (7).

For the consensus with the local society, inquiries, involvement, studies of environmental impacts assessment, as protective measures for the environment and the quality of life, are needed.

It is quite obvious we need a strategy. Concerning the impending Olympic games, we hope they let behind a good heritage with the proper constructions. This depends a lot on the planning philosophy that will follow the involved governmental bodies and it’s a great responsibility of the local authorities as well, for the very significant interventions that will take place, not to be opportunistic.

According to publications a great number of Pireas citizens are very thinking because of the infrastructure works for the games along the coast. The discussion for example, for the area described below is open.

This space named Almyrida or Alipedon (salted area) (Fa-8, Fb-12), in the wider, westwards, area of Pireas, needs a special treatment, as it is the Delta area of Kifissos and of modern bed of Ilissos (Fa-9) rivers, 2 km long along the Phaleron bay (Fa-10). It is preferable for the area to become a biotope-wetland as it was in the ancient times (8). This proposal made by Helene Delfinou and Irene Pylarinou, architects, together with Tassos Biris, professor of Technical Univ. of Athens has, already, won the first prize in an international competition for the convivial spaces, last year. Now it needs a spirited decision on behalf of the nearby municipality in order to be realized. A public inquiry and discussion on conflict interests can be preceded. It’s true that if the decision is in favor of the zone, to let in natural processes and live again the delta landscape, this will give to the area between the coast and the desert of flat blocks, another more attractive view than the urban austerity. This pioneer proposal looks attractive and interesting to the politicians, planners and involved municipalities, but needs a certain courage to be promoted, as it is in contradiction with other land trivial uses. It needs awareness and education in order to choose the gentle solution of an urban natural park with ground paths, plant, forms and formations signs and birds observatories, as well as a small center of reception, environmental education and public awareness, instead of old fashioned solutions with haunts, playgrounds, recreation centers and why not taverns, bars, parking etc. Not to be forgotten that the ex wetland area, extended seawards with debris filling, has become a zone of high prices ground, from which businessmen hope to profit. The proposal for a natural spot is feasible, realistic but of another reality that needs awareness, culture and different mentality. It’s not the easy solution and it needs an ample gesture. This solution will secure the dialogue with the water, the opening of the landscape, the relation of the rivers with the sea. This relation is not a typical but a dialectical one that can transform the urban landscape painting.

Greece has a very long coast. The problem is that in most urban and tourist areas the physical continuation of the urban landscape with the coast is abolished. These areas of land and water meeting cannot be an artificial, false coast. The priority is to be nature-oriented, the natural face of the nature to be pronounced.

Today, the priorities, the awareness in relation with the ones of 50ties and sixties are changing. The knowledge of environmental impacts has advanced and been enriched. Consequently the mentality, the methodologies and the approaches on the urban environment have spectacularly developed.

POLICY NEEDED

There is a need for tranquil places to escape from the pressure of urban life, places that can improve the physical, moral and spiritual condition of the urban dweller.

The view that nothing can change now is not true because even in the most overcrowded areas there are possibilities for an aspiration. What we need is decisions for free spaces conservation and protection, as well as measures for drastic limitation of the activities and public services in the center, of the endless expansion of cities etc.

The municipalities and the local authorities have become very powerful in European level and should manage to take the best decisions for their regions, their home. Working closely together with: a) public or private organizations which will provide specialists’ knowledge and advice, b) voluntary groups and interested individuals will produce a nature conservation strategy inside the city.

This strategy will give the guidelines to protect, promote, improve and create areas of nature conservation value within the cities, the city of Piraeus in order to improve the quality of life of its residents and visitors. These guidelines will be formulated within policies, which will be incorporated into the City Plan, thus building environmental consideration into the very fabric of the city’s planning and development policies (10). In order to develop the strategy and to continue its implementation, extensive survey of the city’s open spaces has to be undertaken, in order afterwards management plans for these to be installed. The municipalities are owners of a number of grounds. It should be decided not to be built easily anymore, as the city has overpassed its tolerances, and open spaces are rare.

As there is an increase in the amount of leisure time spent in, around or near home, positive activities should be invented but open spaces are indispensable for them.

The idea of education in environmental matters, as part of these activities will produce active, involved and concerned citizens.

In these matters geology has the precedence over other matters because of the intimate relationship of urban development with geology. There is a profound influence of geology on human society but is considered as granted. The distribution of inhabitants, plants and animals is depended upon geology, which underlies and forms the landscape. Economic well being is also underpinned by geology, as far as the character of urban areas, the building stones, the architectural heritage, the human history, civilization and culture reflect the local geology and geological history. Hence, the urban geological resource and its potential in education, for raising public awareness for the nature and its conservation and protection is important.

Earth heritage conservation in urban areas is a new, quite indispensable, initiative. Because a heritage value placed on the local environment is more effective than trying to raise concern about some remote site which most people have never visited. (9.1)

Inversely, the urban areas provide perhaps the best opportunity to demonstrate the value of geology and in consequence the need for geological conservation in modern society.

For this reason a systematic attempt to conserve the few natural exposures in the city is indispensable. Only by conserving the rocks we can decode the amazing story of mountain building, climate change and the evolution of life.

These areas of urban environment may be artificially constructed, marooned remnants of a natural landscape or by-products of industry, such as old quarries or railway cuttings. Parks and open spaces represent also one of the most important resources of urban geology and geomorphology.

Despite its apparent richness this resource explaining the city’s remote past and rationale of its foundation, is under-used and unsung (9.2).

Signboards, interpretative boards, explanatory trail leaflets, explaining the geological history deduced from them and its relation with the history of the city will be good means for knowledge and recreation. The placement of interactive geological tableaux in some places could be of great help also. Town geological trail guides not only documenting outcrops and setting them in a wider geological context, but providing a guide to building stone and the link between local geology and the industrial heritage of the region is appreciable not only for the habitant but for the passenger as well.

Providing this helpful material explaining the geology and geomorphology features in its natural setting the potential for appreciation, study and involvement of the general public increases together with their interest for the city.

CONCLUSION

The concept of gray cities, with environmental issues in a fringe concern, is not any more acceptable. We need an everyday relation with nature and free spaces in our cities. Nature and free spaces not only green, in an idyllic and romantic concept, but multicolored like the rocks of the Earth. We need these colors that embellish our every day life. This innovative new concept is a key factor to the sustainable regeneration for the cities of tomorrow. We are dreaming these democratic cities reconciled with nature, that will satisfy the basic human needs in the everyday conditions of urban life.

.REFERENCES

(1). Athinai-Piraievs geological sheet. IGME publication, 1982

(2). Pausaniou-Ellados Periighisis, Attika Ekdotike Athinon, 1994

(3). Ir. Drandaki-An. Koutsouveli: “a brief report on Hietionia gate (Kastraki)”. IGME, 1997

(4). NEA daily newspaper, weekly special edition:‘’I live in Pireas’’, reportage on 8.8.98

(5). KATHIMERINI daily newspaper:‘’Indifference for 100 ‘’aspirations’’ of Athens’’, article in 7.6.1998

(6). P. Gennimatas: ‘’The Right of the City’’, article in the Congress: Sustainable Urban Environment: Implementation and enforcement issues, Athens 9-10. 10 1997 organized by the municipality of Athens

(7). AVGI of Sunday, newspaper, inquiry in 11.1.98

(8). ELEFTHEROTYPIA of Sunday (inset Epsilon), newspaper. Reportage on 9. 1997

(9). Geology on your doorstep: British geological Society, 1995:

(9.1) Matthew R. Bennet & Peter Doyle:‘’The rationale for Earth Heritage conservation”

(9.2) Mike McGibbon: “The evolution of planning and use of urban parks and open spaces in Britain”

(9.7). G.M.A. Barker: “Earth science sites in urban areas: the lessons from wildlife conservation”

(10). Southampton;the countryside city. Leaflet of the Hawthorns Wildlife Centre