The present degree thesis contributes in its own way in the dialogue concerning the Greek city in the 21st century. The intervention in the modern urban web, the management of memory in the city, the tendencies of growth, the quality of life of its residents, are some of the issues it tries to resolve. As a field of application the city of Volos is chosen and more specifically the region called “Palaia”. Palaia district is a zone with a heavy historical load (Ottoman castle) which has been developing rapidly during the last decade. Even though the area is placed in the parameter of the city centre it is abstracted from it because of its natural location and certain facilities that were developed in its threshold (Train Station, Commercial Harbor). Even within the borders of the area the quality of life differs significantly from the north part to the south, which is degraded as a result of the activities of the Commercial Harbor.
This proposal makes an effort to solve the problems mentioned above, in a direction of upgrading the area to a supralocal centre including both old and new landmarks, better quality of life and new uses.
The new web is a result of the conjunction of the medieval web of the castle with the pre-existing one and its expansion to the south part of the area. For the city planning we chose to use the “traces” and the features, of the properties and their boundaries, rather than a specific historical period. As a result a contemporary vocabulary is created, which blends the complexity of the past with the regularity of today. The location of the functions changes as well, in the direction of creating new public spaces, expanding the functional and cultural infrastructures of the city and improving the residents’ quality of life.