What can only be described as a development of historical proportions has been unfolding across the Greek capital over the past five years, as hundreds of one-, two- and three-story houses are being razed to the ground by bulldozers. It is a development that strikes a chord with all Athenians, as the handful of surviving “monokatoikias” (single houses, as opposed to the capital’s emblematic “polykatoikias,” multi-dwellings, or apartment buildings) serve as points of reference in the more densely built parts of the city or as reminders of past luxuries in its more affluent areas. For many neighborhoods, these demolitions mark the end of an era.
Kathimerini did a deep dive into public records to gauge the magnitude of the phenomenon. Studying the demolition licenses issued in the past few years, it ascertained that the number of houses being demolished doubled in the six-year period from 2019 to 2024. Last year actually recorded a record, with the number of demolition licenses shooting past 1,200 against an average of 1,000 per year since 2020.
The phenomenon is affecting the entire Attica basin, though for some areas, like the municipal districts of Athens and Piraeus, it signals the extinction of an entire period of urban history, razing the last surviving buildings that could have been or were once entitled to protection. Nevertheless, no area is immune, from affluent suburbs like Kifissia, Filothei, Psychico, Papagou in the north and east, or Voula and Glyfada on the southern coast, to more middle-class districts like Maroussi or working-class areas like Peristeri and Kallithea. Some areas, such as Keratsini, Petroupoli and Moschato, have seen demolitions skyrocket in the past two years.
‘Demolitions are taking place all over the municipalities of Athens and Piraeus. Such a dispersion is an important finding because it tells us that there are no areas of concentration’
What else do the records tell us? That most of the houses being demolished were built before 1955, though a significant portion are from the 1950s and 60s. These are mainly one- or two-story dwellings, though there are quite a few larger residential units as well. In some cases, these houses are going down in pairs – two small houses on two adjoining plots – obviously to make way for much bigger structures. And while the plots emerging from these demolitions in the city center and in former refugee housing estates tend to be quite small, in Attica’s coastal and “garden” suburbs they concern houses built on plots of 10,000 square meters or more, which means that a lot of greenery is also disappearing.
We can’t really say that Attica is facing a second wave of “antiparochi,” as the practice that led to the urbanization boom of the 1960s and 70s is known – whereby a developer would buy a small building off the owner in exchange for one or more units inside the apartment block they were planning to build. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that similar arrangements are driving the spike in demolitions. That and a more favorable environment for construction thanks to the incentives included in the New Building Code that facilitate the transformation of residential units into “investment” products, massively driving up the value of property.
The phenomenon demands a discussion about why so many houses are being demolished, about the impact – in some areas, a positive one – and about how it is altering the urban, residential and social characteristics of large swaths of the Greek capital.
Demolitions in 2024
An examination of more than 800 pages on the Technical Chamber of Greece’s (TEE) Diavgeia platform, where all construction-related licenses are published, reveals that 1,217 demolition permits were issued (or renewed/amended) in 2024. This number relates to the complete demolition of a building (not a partial one) used as a residence, a storage unit or a place of business. The 1,217 permits Kathimerini analyzed concern the demolition of 1,266 houses. More specifically:
• 792 are ground-floor residences, 348 are two-story (ground floor plus one) and 66 are three-story (ground floor plus two), while 16 are ground-floor storage units and 18 are ground-floor professional spaces. The remainder concern other types of buildings in these categories or buildings whose type is not detailed in the permit.
• 30 of these demolition permits include licenses to cut down a total of 139 trees. In three cases – in parts of Ilioupoli, Papagou and Pallini – 13 trees will be going.
• In 17 cases, demolition permits are for houses on adjoining plots, issued on the same day. This possibly indicates a plan to join the plots and build a bigger structure.
• The age of the building slated for demolition is not listed in all the permits. In the cases where it is, 219 permits refer to houses from the 1950s and 211 to houses from the 1960s.
• A significant number of properties are simply described as being pre-1955. The reason is that, according to the law, all buildings built before that date are automatically considered legal even if they did not have a construction license. Describing a building as “pre-1955” is shorthand for that. These buildings include those from 1954 and represent a total of 309. The number is indicative of a trend that may be driven by concerns that buildings dating to before 1955 may be listed for conservation.
• 259 demolition licenses concern buildings that were built illegally, without the proper licenses, and were later legalized.
• As far as the plots being “freed up” for new construction are concerned, a quarter (or 306) are small, meaning 200 square meters or less. The two smallest are in Nea Ionia (a 39.8 sq.m. house on Safrapoleos Street) and Piraeus (a 48.13 sq.m. shop on Aitolikou).
• The number of large plots (over 10,000 square meters) is also quite remarkable, as is the fact that they are all in affluent parts of the capital: 12 in Kifissia, 10 in the municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, nine in Elliniko-Argyroupoli and six in Filothei-Psychico. The biggest, at 13,158 sq.m., is in Maroussi, on Irinis Street.
• The largest number of demolition licenses from 2024 concern the municipalities of Athens (132), Piraeus (87), Peristeri (72), Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, (66) Glyfada (55), Kifissia and Kallithea (49 each), Filothei-Psychico (41), Halandri (33) and Maroussi (30).
A timeline
How have demolitions evolved in the past few years? The question (also drawing on the Technical Chamber of Greece’s database) is answered by a research program on “Segregation Patterns and Deprivation Areas (SeDe) in Athens 2011-2021,” being conducted by the National Center for Social Research’s (EKKE) Institute of Social Research, bankrolled by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) via the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and headed by geographer and EKKE researcher Stavros Spyrellis.
It has found that:
• Between 2019 and 2024, 5,582 permits were issued in the region of Attica for the complete demolition of buildings. The numbers doubled in just a few years, from 583 in 2019 to 1,217 in 2024, with the average from 2021 onward being in the 1,000 region.
• Since 2019, 605 one-, two- and three-story houses have been demolished in the Municipality of Athens alone. Another 306 were torn down in Glyfada in the same period, 300 in Piraeus, 283 in Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, 267 in Peristeri, 264 in Kifissia and 184 in the Filothei-Psychico Municipality.
“It is extremely useful to combine the information from the demolition licenses and from the more recent census of buildings (from 2011) to ascertain whether demolitions are taking place in areas with a small or large stock of such buildings,” Spyrellis tells Kathimerini.
“According to that census, small-scale buildings make up, on average, 42% of the stock in all the municipalities of Attica, with the lowest proliferation rate, of under 10%, being in the municipal districts of Athens, Zografou, Kallithea, Nea Smyrni and Galatsi. From the dispersion of demolitions, we see that even though Athens’ stock of small buildings is relatively small, it has the largest number of demolitions. Kallithea and Nea Smyrni, likewise, have a small ratio of houses but a large number of demolitions,” he adds.
By analyzing the data in terms of postal code, the “geography” of the demolitions becomes even clearer. “Demolitions are taking place all over the municipalities of Athens and Piraeus. Such a dispersion is an important finding because it tells us that there are no areas of concentration. The phenomenon is a bit more intensive in non-residential areas with older building stock, such as the former industrial zone of Piraeus or the area of Kerameikos in Athens,” says Spyrellis.
The pattern in western Attica is also interesting. “Demolitions are dispersed in the west too, but show an increase in concentration the closer we get to the Municipality of Athens. Demolitions are also increasing the higher up Mount Aegaleo we go (Palataki in Haidari and the hills of Petroupoli). These areas west of Athens have been converging with the eastern suburbs in terms of their socioeconomic profile since 2011, so a drive to renew their building stock was to be expected,” says the researcher.
East of the city center, the cases of Papagou and Neo Psychico stand out. “Here we see homes that were being used as as residences and not deserted that are being demolished as an investment, which points to a new wave of ‘antiparochi.’ We have a similar picture on the coastal front, in the areas of Voula, Glyfada, Alimos and Elliniko. In Voula, specifically, the phenomenon is much more intense as it has the largest number of demolitions in the entire capital, at 178. In areas like Voula, Papagou, Neo Psychico and Kifissia, the entire character of the suburb is also possibly changing, in relation to Athens, where small houses are few and far between,” says Spyrellis.
Destruction or renewal?
The growing demolition of small residences appears to signal the death of the Athenian “monokatoikia,” with many arguing that dozens of valuable buildings will be swept up in the storm – if they haven’t already been – and every last trace of important architectural and historical milestones will be erased.
Kathimerini went to four experts with its findings. “The evidence points to the loss of our stock of buildings from the 1920s and 30s, part of which is very valuable indeed,” says Irini Gratsia, an archaeologist and coordinator of Monumenta, a nonprofit dedicated to salvaging the architectural heritage of Greece and Cyprus. The organization has been trying to prevent such demolitions from taking place for several years, by showcasing buildings that are not protected by law.
“From now on, the demolition of a ‘pre-1955’ building needs approval from an architecture council, while those older than 100 years need the agreement of the Culture Ministry. Many owners of buildings close to turning 100 are, therefore, rushing to get rid of them before they are inducted into these categories. At the same time, a lot of architecturally interesting buildings from the 1950s and 60s are being lost in areas like Filothei and Psychico, which have high-quality architecture. It’s upsetting because we’re talking about destruction. We often find ourselves with the unpleasant task of having to erase buildings from our records after learning that they didn’t make it. We’re also constantly getting calls from citizens about new cases. Why can’t we save a few by offering their owners real, strong incentives?”
‘From the point of view of protecting our architectural legacy, there is a serious issue with regard to buildings from the interwar years especially, as they do not have protected status’
“I don’t see the rise in the number of demolitions as a threat. By constructing new buildings, the city will have more coherence in terms of density and height. I am opposed to what is being demolished, especially if the buildings are quite old. From the point of view of protecting our architectural legacy, there is a serious issue with regard to buildings from the interwar years especially, as they do not have protected status,” says Tilemachos Andrianopoulos, an architect and associate professor at the National Technical University of Athens’ School of Architecture.
“Generally speaking, the replacement of older buildings with newer ones is a normal process. The increase in demolitions also reflects the rise of the real estate market and significant demand for new buildings, despite the huge wave of renovations. That said, from an urban planning perspective, I’ve been thinking that – regardless of their architectural value – one- and two-story buildings have an important counterbalancing effect. They represent comforting voids – often where least expected – especially with the greenery that typically surrounds them. The way they contrast with the density of the urban fabric is almost always more appealing than the architecture itself. On the other hand, increasing residential density in the city is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it helps curb urban sprawl,” he adds.
“Speaking as a citizen, it makes me sad to see one- and two-story buildings that we see every day, that are a part of our neighborhoods, being torn down. We are witnesses to destruction on a mass scale,” says Lydia Carras, a filmmaker and head of the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage – Elliniki Etairia.
“Some of these houses are architecturally significant; some represent a style of anonymous popular architecture, which is also important in its own way, as it is the expression of a specific era. Apart from being an element of our architectural identity, they are also valuable for our quality of life. In the narrow streets of Athens, these houses let in the light and the air, they have greenery in their courtyards and gardens, they are beneficial. And what comes in their place? Blocks of apartments that are out of reach for the average Greek family, affordable only for ‘investors,’ mainly foreign ones. It’s very comforting to see that many municipal authorities and citizens are trying to curb this destruction, but I don’t know if they’ll be too late.”
“There are many reasons [for this phenomenon]. The cost-benefit ratio has obviously changed. The favorable building code, which has tripled profits for developers, has played a part, as have the Golden Visa and international investment interest. As a result, while it once made sense to hold onto a one- or two-story house, the amount being offered today, either in ‘antiparochi’ or for an outright sale, is too good to resist,” explains architect and urban planner Vassilis Gimisis. “The density ratios in most parts of Athens are extremely high, so every building that is demolished will be replaced by a much bigger one, with everything that this entails. What concerns me is that valuable buildings are also being lost in this wave of demolitions.”
“The apartment block, which saved us from ghettoization and gentrification in previous decades, stands in the way of the renewal of the city’s residential dynamic because there are so many proprietors involved,” Stavros Spyrellis, the EKKE researcher, concludes. “As a result, the market, which is looking for space for new buildings, is turning to what’s left, and that is small houses. Demand is so high that even buildings regarded as new, from the 1980s and 90s, are being demolished. Not all these buildings are worth keeping. There are houses that are falling down or abandoned. There are illegally and poorly built houses, especially in poorer neighborhoods. In this sense, there is also a positive side to the rejuvenation of the building stock. And let’s not forget that even though demolition permits have skyrocketed in recent years, they still represent just 5% of all construction licenses, as 20% are for new construction and 75% for renovations.”