Introduction

Gentrification as a word per se does not exist in the Greek language. The word ϵζϵυγϵνισμός (exevgenismós) is used in order to describe the process of gentrification. This word is actually the outcome of academic efforts to transfer/translate the word gentrification into the Greek vocabulary. The meaning of this word is rather confusing; in Greek ϵυγϵνικός (evgenikós), means ‘gentle’. Gentle is related to ϵυγϵνής (evgenís), which refers to nobility and/or ‘being noble’. Hence, the Greek term could be understood as ‘a gentle process of the gentry’. As there is nothing gentle to the gentrification process, I prefer to use the English word ‘gentrification’, which is highly political (see Davidson and Lees, 2005; Slater, 2006), instead of the neutral Greek equivalent. The Greek media and academics use both the English and the Greek words. Activists and artists use mostly the English ‘gentrification’ rather than the Greek term, while local Athenians, although very well informed about the process, use none of these words. They prefer verbal combinations, like urban regeneration or renovation; however, they are surprised when it is explained that there is an English word that underlines the social injustice of the process.

There is one well-documented case of gentrification in Athens – that is, the neighbourhood called Plaka, which is situated at the foot of the Acropolis (Sarigiannis, 2000; Kaftantzoglou, 2001). In the late 1980s, the Ministry of Culture appropriated properties to preserve their cultural heritage and the Ministry of Planning simultaneously proceeded to pedestrianise the area, impose planning restrictions and prohibit vehicle circulation. Land prices increased, the former impoverished residents were evicted and the new land uses were mostly related to the tourist industry. Nowadays, the new residential clientele mostly consists of the upper-middle classes and every visitor to Athens is invited to walk through the picturesque streets of Plaka. In this chapter, I argue that there are other cases of gentrification in Athens. By the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s, the rent gap expansion through underutilisation, as characterised by Shin (2009a) when researching gentrification in South Korea, provided prime opportunities for commercial gentrification in Athens.