Thessaloniki Social Atlas aims to collect, present, and disseminate topics concerning the changing urban geographies of Thessaloniki with an emphasis on the city’s recent transformations in historical traits. This is a dynamic and accessible free online platform with texts, maps, and urban data that contribute to a critical understanding, a systematic organisation, and the presentation of evidence-based material for Thessaloniki. It shares scientific knowledge with the wider public towards the dissemination and democratisation of knowledge while, at the same time, informing the academic community and policy-makers.
Being a Mediterranean port city and a major urban centre in Southeastern Europe, Thessaloniki presents interesting specificities: the continuum of habitation over many centuries, history and cultural heritage, the geopolitical strategic location as a constant crossroads in the Balkans, the proximity to the sea, but also along its current social, spatial, and environmental transformations in a globalised context. Nonetheless, many of the city’s recent and ongoing transformations remain unmapped, poorly discussed, or with limited outreach.
By emphasising space in multiple geographic scales, from the neighbourhood level to the wider urban complex, the Atlas welcomes contributions from urban studies, architecture and spatial planning, geography, sociology and anthropology, environment, history, and economic and political sciences. The articles are classified in one or more of the 10 thematic categories: People – Socio-spatial Formation, History – Heritage, Arts – Urban Cultures, Economy – Production, Ecology – Environment, Housing – Built Environment, Public Space – Civil Society, Planning – Infrastructures – Development, Neighbourhoods, and Thessaloniki in the world.
The bilingual edition in Greek and English language enriches the domestic discussion while opening up perspectives of comparative analysis and transnational communication.
Thessaloniki Social Atlas is a project of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Development, School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is affiliated to the Research Unit for South European Cities.
Editors: Evangelia Athanassiou, Charis Christodoulou, Loukas Triantis
Partners: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Research Unit for South European Cities AUTh, EKKE (National Centre for Social Research), Hellenic Statistical Authority
