INTERVIEW OF THE MAYOR OF ATHENS, Mr. COMRADE BAKOGIANNIS
New to the Municipality of Athens but with a long “tenure” in local government, Mr. Bakoyannis came to change the everyday life of Athenians for the better, starting with the obvious but also the most difficult to implement: cleanliness, security, infrastructure, greenery and open spaces. All these things that make up the “culture of everyday life” as he calls them and that will make Athens attractive for both residents and visitors. With the directness and simplicity of his speech, he “guides” us to the plans of a different Athens, with young people creating, Lycabettus being transformed and the residents “adopting their city”.
What is your vision for Athens in the coming years?
It is very easy to talk about visions or huge projects that, more often than not, do not materialise. I can talk to you about our objectives which, if you like, you can call them a vision. It is to change everyday life in Athens. It is what we called and presented to the Athenians before they chose us “Culture of Everyday Life”. It is something that sounds simple but is the most difficult to implement. Change all the things that plague the daily lives of residents and visitors. Yes, I can tell you that it is a vision to achieve the quality of life that Athenians should and deserve to have.
They should be able to enjoy a clean city, a safe city, with infrastructure, greenery and open spaces. For us, everyday culture is an end in itself. It is one of the most important reasons for our existence in the municipal government.
What will be your priorities for 2020?
The main priority is to implement the changes in the way our Municipality operates, to change our methodology, which is already underway, in order to reach the goal I described to you before. We are creating a flexible demos because only when a mechanism is flexible can it be efficient. Only then can it work and our aim is to have immediate, short-term results. But 2020 is also the year of a real start for the changes we want to make in everyday life, which I have talked to you about, given that the first budget that we have presented will be implemented. And the content of the budget matters. That is, it is very important that it provides for technical works of 264 million euro. EUR 160 million compared to EUR 160 million in the previous year. that were predicted last year. For interventions that change the quality of life, such as those for the upgrading and modernisation of the road network or pavements, for which €24 million will be made available. euro. In this direction, we are also proceeding with the maintenance and repair of municipal buildings and schools, where we are also starting their energy upgrade. It is a fully costed budget with very specific targets for cleaning, lighting and all our infrastructure. I would say that for the first time Athens has a budget that intervenes with surgical precision in everyday problems.
What actions do you have planned concerning young people in the city?
I would say that the majority of the actions organised, hosted and supported by the organisations of the Municipality of Athens focus on young people. You know, it’s not only the actions that a municipality organises and tells young people “come and take part”, it’s also the actions that young people themselves organise because the municipality supports them, helps them and gives them the impetus to carry out. So we have chosen the path that wants young people in front as creators and us behind or beside them to give them everything they need for their purpose. This Christmas, the “Adopt your city” programme will premiere. What are its objectives and what actions are part of it?
“Adopt Your City” is, I can say, a pioneering programme that has already started to be embraced by institutions, associations and businesses. It is innovative because it gives everyone a voice in the city they live in. Those who love Athens and want to see it alive should take action. Any city body, any club or any business can adopt an area, a specific part of the city that, in cooperation with our Municipality, can be cared for, cared for, kept clean and illuminated. One of the actions that has been very well received is the Christmas lighting. We want to get away from the image of previous years that wanted Athens to be lit up on holidays only in Syntagma Square or the centre, with decorations of previous decades. There have been many companies that have taken over the lighting of specific points and streets and have enabled us to light other areas at little to no cost. This is one of the actions but it is the whole point of the programme. Lower costs, higher participation.
You mention in your programme that you will put Athens at the centre of the cultural map. In this context, would you think of Athens as the meeting point of culture for all the regions of the country?
The issue of placing Athens at the centre of the cultural map is a challenge and a gamble. And the bet is to put Athens at the centre of the global cultural map. Athens already attracts many visitors from abroad as well as from within the city, for the sites that showcase its great history, its course through the centuries through culture and the arts. Our aim is to create the conditions to promote the “today” of Athens. And what I’m telling you is not general, it’s specific. We work to attract visitors to the present of the city. The city that has spaces to host young artists, young creators from all over the world. Taking on global events in its infrastructure with new cultural routes. Athens enters a different trajectory and becomes a cultural route. Not only for its emblematic elements but for all that each neighbourhood can offer you. So the capital can become a meeting point, not only for the regions of the country but for all the cultures of the world. To become a global meeting point.
Are your goals to attract more Greek visitors? If so, what actions will you take to achieve this?
Everybody loves Athens and those who visit it less is because they find it difficult to live there. Yes, we are targeting more Greek visitors but we will not do this with one or two events. We do this through our very targeted interventions in traffic and parking, pedestrianisation and the enhancement of open spaces. I will give you an example of an important project that is moving forward and is sure to attract the interest of Greek visitors. We start our interventions in Lycabettus. An urban forest of rare natural beauty that we are upgrading and exploiting. We intervene in the paving of its routes with special, environmentally friendly materials, we create walking routes and step by step, we transform the entire hill into a destination, not only for the residents of Athens but also for the whole of Attica. At the same time, one of our goals for the cultural upgrading of Athens is to transform it from one end to the other into a vast stage. To become a city full of events for everyone. These are the two axes that we are moving on to attract visitors. The infrastructure and the actions we organise.
What is your message to the readers of GR Traveller for the new year?
I’m not good at deep messages. It is the simple things and the obvious things that we lack. My message is the same as the one we have been trying to convey since the first day we took over the Municipality of Athens. To love less the “I” and more the “We”, because with the “We” we can do great things, we can accomplish what each one of us could not have imagined on our own.
