The numerator and the denominator of Thessaloniki on the way to the… deep 21st century

The recent years alongside the daily ones persistent problems of Thessaloniki -or even as a counterweight to them- the paraphilology about the “Thessaloniki of 2030”. When (supposedly) positive developments such as the completion and maturation of some major projects, which come to us as backlogs from the depths of decades, will lead to a another… Thessaloniki. A different city, which will satisfy the demands of society and develop into an enviable area to live and work.

It is no coincidence that this particular narrative is defended and promoted mainly by political figures, while it is also embraced by several social and economic representatives of the city, whose credibility has been tested – in fact questioned – for years. And this is because either they are attached to political situations and their hidden desire and aim is to jump to the central political scene or to self-government, or they are working for their own interests, what we call their personal benefit. Most of them at least. Both the one (politicians) and the other (representatives) category suffer from the disease of “blindness”, since people need the optimistic message and in order to have it, they are often seduced by nice talks, plans on paper and futuristic images, which -as history teaches- they are doomed to drown in the waves of harsh reality.

The completion of flagship projects and the implementation of projects, such as – for example – the metro which this year completes 18 years of construction and approximately 40 years of planning or the extension of the 6th pier of the port of Thessaloniki, which is supposed to start sometime in 2024, also after decades of planning and back and forth, I hope they happen, but in no way do they guarantee the passage of Thessaloniki to another better and higher social and economic level. The most likely scenario is that in 2030 Thessaloniki will still be in the disadvantaged position it is today and the obvious reason is simple: the criminal delay in the planning and implementation of all these projects, plans and interventions, which when planned may have been emblematic , but after so many decades its luster has faded and its value has been depreciated. Obviously, they are needed and well done and completed, but the dynamic they will bring to the area is today much smaller and more limited than at the beginning of their planning.

The Thessaloniki of 2030 will not be an essentially different, more upgraded city and region, because the specific assessment – announcement is unequivocally based on the projects that are in progress and will be completed or matured by then. Because while everyone deals with strengthening the ideal for the city’s data… denominator, no one deals with the… numerator, which is none other than the combination of the modern needs for the functionality and development of the city on the one hand and the desires for identity on the other of the deep 21st century. Because most of the major interventions that will (supposedly) bring out the shining Thessaloniki of 2030 were planned in the 1980s and 1990s. From the mid-2000s until today, the city has been struggling – and anxiously – to close the agendas of the past decades. That is, from the last quarter of the 20th century. To get to the point then to start thinking about what to do to successfully join and adapt safely to the era of digitalization, climate change and new challenges in the economy and society. Because quite simply a city, like Thessaloniki, with extremely deficient digital infrastructure burdened with environmental characteristics (from the small percentage of greenery, which is one of the lowest in Europe, the poor air quality, etc.) cannot go very… far. Not even a city with a subway of limited size, a port that even if it receives more cargo will burden the city with its operation, but also with one or two peripheral roads (ground and elevated), which will marginally serve the Thessalonians, who they’re car enthusiasts anyway, it has a way of projecting its own proposition. And if someone wants to be more specific and tangible in their concerns, it is enough to think and ask themselves if there are reliable estimates for the population of Thessaloniki in five or 15 years, the size, direction and conditions of urban expansion in the years to come. , the degree of intensity of mobility within the urban complex, but also the increase in the number of visitors to the city from abroad.

If all this moves upwards on autopilot – and only with the support of geography, the advocacy of history and the push of the economy – it is clear that the grandiose and once iconic projects will only work as… patches and limited solutions. Developments will continue to run ahead and city officials and those responsible for the city will continue to pant, but also postpone from decade to decade its upgrading. All the more so because these trench and rearguard battles leave no room – neither time, nor energy, nor a clear mind – for formulating a strategy for the character of Thessaloniki in the deep 21st century. Perhaps today the only certainty in this direction is the city’s relationship with the sea, which remains at an extremely low level. In essence, Thessaloniki has turned its back on the liquid element as if it abhors it. In this sense, the only far-reaching project that is heard, but its implementation is still many years away, is the regeneration of the coastal front from Kalochori to Angelochori. And because of this, the emergence of a Thessaloniki of open horizons in every direction, but also a Thessaloniki of mobility. Because if the plan runs out on the 30-40 km cycle path that will be created, one more opportunity will have been lost.