City of Patras: Evolution, Spatial relations, Spatial conflicts
Pappas Vassilis, Assoc. Professor vpappas@upatras.gr Laboratory of Urban and Regional Planning Department of Architecture, School of Engineering, University of Patras
Patras urban complex – a brief outline
• The third urban complex in Greece • ~220.000 inhabitants • more than 4.000 years history • Capital of Western Greece Region Activities/Infrastructures: Port to Italy (West Gate) • University • Greek Open University • Technological Institute • Science Park • Industrial Park • Regional Hospital
•
Major problems: • Deindustrialization • Unemployment • Traffic problems • Quality of Urban Environment
Trans European Networks
Source: Regional Plan of Epirus Periphery
National Spatial Planning
Special Directions for Transport System
Regional Planning
Periphery of Western Greece
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity Glorious eras of high growth / development
Mycenaean era
Roman era
19th century
The birth and evolution of city contributes to understanding the relation: city - port - train.
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity
1687, Ottomans’ and Venetians’ battle
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity 1812: Birth of C. Dickens (imposed the raisins as a main component of the pudding). 1821: Greek Revolution against the Ottoman empire. 7/10/1828 The French admiral Maisson liberated the city. 1828: 4.000 inhabitants. A completely destroyed city with devastated economy. Decade 1830: the sea and the port as new elements of the urban landscape. 1860: The port’s infrastructure are fully enforced in the iconography of the city. 1866: Public Lighting with throttle. 1870: The first mansions of rich merchants in the lower city, and also commercial and industrial installations.
1872: The Mayor C. Rufus demolished 1.000 arbitrarily huts at the lower area. 1872: Phylloxera in the vineyards of the French south. 1874: Public Lighting with gas. 1887: The first train from Athens to Patras.
1902: Operation of tramway. 1907: Public Lighting with electricity. Patras: The town of the brunette breath.
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity
1700
1829
The evolution of historic center
1860
1885
1900
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity
1864 ?, British Admiralty Map
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity
Waterfront in port – Customs’ installations Tram from center to south suburbs (1900 – 1912)
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity
City of Patras: The origins of modern urbanity
Since 1950 only small changes occurred in the network structure of the central core of the city.
Population analysis – Outlines 1,6000
1,4000
1,2000
1,0000
0,8000
POPULATION
S. POPULATION
YEAR PATRA
GREECE
S. POPULATION WEIGHT
PATRA
GREECE
PATRAS/GREECE
1907
37.401
2.631.952
1,0
1,0
1,4210
1920
51.596
5.016.889
1,4
1,9
1,0284
1928
61.278
6.204.684
1,6
2,4
0,9876
1940
62.275
7.344.860
1,7
2,8
0,8479
1951
79.014
7.632.801
2,1
2,9
1,0352
1961
95.364
8.388.553
2,5
3,2
1,1368
1971
111.607
8.768.641
3,0
3,3
1,2728
1981
141.529
9.740.417
3,8
3,7
1,4530
0,6000
0,4000
0,2000
PATRAS POPULATION WEIGHT 0,0000 1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
5,0 4,5
M. PATRAS GREECE
1991
152.570
10.259.900
4,1
3,9
1,4871
4,0
2001
160.400
10.964.080
4,3
4,2
1,4630
3,5 3,0 2,5 2,0 1,5 1,0 0,5 0,0 1900
GREECE - PATRAS STAND. POPULATION EVOLUTION 1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
The city's population is growing continuously and very often with higher rates than the country's
2020
Population analysis – Outlines YEAR
40,0
35,0
S. Area S. Population
30,0
25,0
20,0
15,0
AREA (acres)
POPULATION
P. DENSITY
Standardized AREA
Standardized POPULATION
1858
640,0
19.876
31,06
1,0
1,0
1882
1.149,3
29.804
25,93
1,8
1,5
1885
1.508,0
31.459
20,86
2,4
1,6
1903
2.228,5
37.894
17,00
3,5
1,9
1929
3.767,4
61.278
16,27
5,9
3,1
1971
4.307,3
111.607
25,91
6,7
5,6
1972
9.946,4
111.607
11,22
15,5
5,6
1975
13.070,5
114.018
8,72
20,4
5,7
1979
14.675,0
123.660
8,43
22,9
6,2
1989
18.249,8
134.821
7,39
28,5
6,8
1995
21.706,1
141.529
6,52
33,9
7,1
2002
22.604,0
160.000
7,08
35,3
8,0
10,0
5,0
0,0 1840
1860
1880
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
The evolution of city’s population in relation with city’s area (according to the official city plan)
Expansion and intensive development of the urban fabric συγκροτήματος Ο χαρακτήρας του αστικού
The structure of urban complex
Expansion and intensive development of the urban fabric συγκροτήματος Ο χαρακτήρας του αστικού
Source: GMES Urban Atlas
The structure of urban complex
City, Port, City center and the mountain
Expansion and intensive development of the urban fabric Intensive urban sprawl / expansion
• The percentage of total residential housing stock was increased.
• Resulting increase in private car ownership, which enhances the urban expansion trends.
• The commercial land uses have strong trends for expansion.
• Reinforced and intensive use of the private car in relation with poor quality public transport system.
Traffic and Parking: the biggest consumers of urban land
The structure of urban complex
Expansion and intensive development of the urban fabric
The structure of urban complex
Major projects, challenges and problems - selected examples Major projects
• Bridge. • By pass road (and relevant highways). • Railroad. • New Port. • “Small” by pass road. • Park for small business. • New road axes. Challenges and problems
• Implementation of City Plan. • Traffic problems. • Peri-Urban areas. • Land Use planning. • Waterfront planning. •... Many of major projects are incomplete.
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: Identifying the problem PORT
CITY
1830 - 1870
Local Port
Slow urban development and formation
1870 - 1900
Port of Raisin
Rapid urban development and formation Slowing economic growth, a gradual decline of trade
1900 - 1940
Port of Migration - Commercial Port
Industrial stagnation, development of handicrafts /manufactures
1940 - 1950
2nd World War - Civil War
1950 - 1970
Decline
Attempts for re-industrialization
1970 - 1995
Gate to Europe
Industrial decline (De-industrialization)
1995 +
Port Node TETN
The future to services?
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: Identifying the problem Annual traffic volumes of the Greece - Italy ferry lines operating from the port of Patras
Year
Passengers
Lorries
Buses
Passenger cars
Bicycles
Total vehicles
1990
953.825
78.741
3.884
143.596
21.323
247.544
1991
874.639
77.986
3.126
145.238
19.168
245.518
1992
948.226
113.128
6.806
153.096
17.883
290.913
1993
908.218
170.171
3.475
147.177
17.300
319.770
1994
923.938
193.820
3.599
152.375
15.479
365.273
1995
956.795
218.813
3.696
158.609
15.987
396.653
1996
1.019.182
223.038
6.756
170.962
18.202
420.406
1997
1.144.495
246.074
4.879
182.678
17.027
457.211
1998
1.180.452
257.175
5.588
201.060
16.502
492.315
1999
929.336
243.236
3.742
165.992
10.233
514.238
2000
1.275.986
292.660
5.779
237.116
14.123
561.493
2001
1.339.004
279.026
5.777
239.025
14.310
538.138
2002
1.383.428
295.630
6.333
261.293
14.191
577.447
2003
1.263.124
304.979
6.324
249.345
12.777
573.425
2004
1.125.159
298.833
7.130
222.486
10.270
538.719
2005
1.247.991
283.778
8.467
226.269
12.236
530.750
2006
1.264.274
295.206
7.796
216.186
11.204
530.392
2007
1.130.880
296.900
6.061
194.805
10.998
508.764
2008
1.094.450
312.459
5.703
158.243
11.201
487.606
2009
1.000.184
212.549
5.398
170.528
9.723
398.198
2010
879.314
171.045
4.135
151.223
15.094
341.497
2011
748.029
145.843
3.445
135.925
8.287
293.500
1.600.000 1.400.000
PASSENGERS TOTAL VEHICLES
1.200.000 1.000.000 800.000 600.000 400.000 200.000 0 1985
(*) Traffic data of May 2009 have been derived by approximation as average % of annual traffic over the period
The Port in figures, an example: Annual traffic volumes
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Port Area and the new Port By pass highway Railway Port Zone Official City Plan
Old Port
New Port
~ 7 klm. Port area ~12 klm. the core of the city
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: Identifying the problem Marshlands Railway
Small Yachts marina
Old Railway station Old Port Railway station Historic center Coastal Park Old Railway station
New under construction access roads to by pass highway New Port Railway Brown field area
New under construction access roads to by pass highway Railway
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: Identifying the problem
• The process of increasing port activity continues unabated since 1960. • The continuous transformation and the dynamics of the urban center. • Existing land uses (character and allocation).
• The structure of the City Plan and the legislation framework. • The coexistence of the coastal road in parallel to the railway line. • Major glitches and problems of the road network.
• The offered poor quality of public transport. • The poor quality and the continuous downgrading of the whole sea front. Overall, the coexistence of the port’s area and the urban center creates a series of conflicts in the urban level. These conflicts are characterized - more or less by the intensive pressure of the functions of the port area on the city, and vice versa, and the apparent requirement for pedestrian’s exit to the sea front and the development of urban land uses therein.
Main causes and parameters of city - port relation
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: Identifying the problem EVALUATION
QUALITY
ACCESSIBILITY
BAD
35,3%
49,3%
MEDIUM
43,2%
24,3%
GOOD
8,2%
13,1%
PORT AREA
13,3%
13,3%
TOTAL
100,0%
100,0%
Only 5,5 km has a “medium” and/or “good” grade from an overall length of 39 km.
Quality Accessibility Bad Medium Good Port zone
Integrated Planning
Evaluation of quality and accessibility of seafront
Pure Nature
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: Identifying the problem
Characteristic examples of poor quality seafront
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: Identifying the problem Evaluation of pedestrians' accessibility:
From a total of 10,252 meters of the central waterfront:
• 6.148 m have free but poor quality access, • 443 m have partially controlled poor quality, and • 3.661 m have absolutely controlled access and poor quality as well.
Accessibility of central waterfront
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: City & Port: Conflicts Overall, across the waterfront - except the central area - the access, where it is possible, is done in two ways: A) through very narrow and poor quality dead-end streets, with practically no organized parking spaces. (only one exception near by the bridge). B) via the coastal road where the main features are:
• • •
inability to serve the traffic volumes (especially in summer), lack of infrastructure for pedestrians (pavement, staging areas, etc.), as well as a general poor quality which is becoming worst due to coastal erosion.
Accessibility of central waterfront
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: City & Port: Conflicts
• •
• • •
Inadequate access-systems to serve the traffic volumes caused by the port, particularly with regard to the vehicles access. Excessive loading, to the proximal urban zone to the port, for a diffusable demand for short or permanent parking, which in peak periods gets very intense proportions. Environmental degradation from the necessity of coexistence of such diverse uses in narrow zone. Degradation of the marine environment. Strong competitive trends to “exploit” the usually limited open spaces.
These problems appear in Patras with increasing intensity since the early - mid 1960's, when the phenomena of urban development were very intensive, while the current operational status of the port stared forming..
Spatial approach of city's waterfront: City & Port: Conflicts In parallel, the pedestrian access to the seafront is burdened particularly by:
• The existence of the railway line, where its design dates back to the 19th century without any effort upgrading its design and its accession to the evolving urban grid, and therefore there are no organized planned crossing points for pedestrians.
• The lack of organized urban planning (it is limited only to the central core of the city) has resulted in significant degradation not only of areas adjacent to the seafront and in the seafront itself, but also in the significant deterioration in the environmental quality (marine and urban) and the land value for all the adjacent regions.
The seafront, the city and the railway line
The design issue of railway line in the city has not been treated with the seriousness and the perspective it deserves, and the so far approaches serve to devaluate the potentialities, the vision and the benefits for cities and their residents, that the rail transit systems offer.
There is still time for a systematic feasibility study in order to estimate and propose alternatives, for the type and the location of railway line, taking into account the previous considerations, the potentialities, the structure and the evolution of the city, and also the consequent social and economic costs.
Underground train or other alternative?
City of Patras: Spatial Planning Issues City – Planning Legislative framework City – Seafront City – Port Area City – Traffic City – Urban Sprawl City – Railway City – Public transport City – Archeological sites
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