The Mediterranean City in Transition: Social Change and Urban Development (Cambridge Human Geography)

The transition from feudalism to capitalism has occurred in many different ways and the variety of forms and methods of this transition is particularly evident in Southern Europe. Focusing on Greater Athens between 1948 and 1981--the crucial period of transition--the author explores the role of social classes in urban development in the cities of Mediterranean Europe. Based on extensive research, the book presents for the first time a history of the Greek urban popular classes during the twentieth century. The author challenges urban growth models based on the Anglo-American experience and convincingly presents her own theoretical framework combining economic and ecological considerations with Gramsci's theories of culture, spontaneity, and informality. Postwar capitalist development has involved a transition from polarization toward diffuse urbanization and flexibility. The timing and form of this transition and its effects on spatial structures have varied, as is especially evident in the case of Mediterranean Europe. Focusing upon Greater Athens between 1948 and 1981 - the crucial period of the transition - Lila Leontidou explores the role of social classes in urban development. The emergence of new processes in cities such as Athens, Salonica, Rome, Naples, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon is different in both timing and manner from that of northern European cities, but, as Dr Leontidou argues, this should not be attributed to poverty or inexplicable cultural peculiarities. Instead interaction between popular spontaneity, economic forces and State control has played a major role Lila Leontidou. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 272-290) Uneven development in urban space has been reproduced all over the world.