Study of the Way People Behave in Commercial Streets in Athens, Greece

Kyriakidis Charalampos and Bakogiannis Efthimios
School of Rural, Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineerings

Abstract

No matter what we do and where we go, when we are in public spaces, we try to satisfy our needs, although there is always a reason for the practice of good etiquette. Such needs derive from both our ideas and from our social and living environment, which are influential factors. In that context, a successful place serves peoples’ needs and that is the reason why this topic consists of one of the most significant ones in urban design theory and practice. Indeed, during the previous decades, a series of researches like the ones of Jan Gehl’s and William Whyte’s, have tried to study the degree in which urban environment is related to peoples’ behavior in public spaces, in various cities, worldwide. In Greece, such researches were not common. During the last years, an increased interest about this topic is observed. This is probably related to the growing interest of local authorities to implement Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and change Greek cities into more functional ones. In that context, this research paper tries to give a survey on how people behave in commercial streets in neighborhoods in Athens. In that way, it evaluates the existing knowledge with regard to attitudes and behavior in public spaces. Finally, the physical characteristics of commercial streets and the way in which they urge or discourage people to behave is another topic studied in this paper.

Presentation