The object of the present research is the evolution of the northern greek city in the 19th century. Our aim is the analysis of the traditional centers and the specification of the special features which have led to their formation. For this reason we chose two specific examples of northern greek cities, Veroia and Ioannina, as it was considered that they satisfy the conditions set in our analysis.
 These two cities were important urban centers in the years we examine and they had a very strong multi-cultural character. It was also considered that the ethnic-religion consistency of the population in these two cities constitutes a representative sample of the northern greek area. The coexistence of christians, muslims and jews, was considered as the determining factor in the formation of the traditional urban core. Organized in communities depending on their religious beliefs and their cultural origins, they formed the unique features of their settling area. By presenting the unique identity of each community, in correlation to the historical evolution of the city, we attempt to formulate some conclusion about the form of the urban web in each case.
 It is thought as useful, a reference to the regulations of the Ottoman reforms, after the half of the 19th century, as an indispensable implement of the modernization of the urban space.
 Comparing the examples of Veroia and Ioannina we note that two urban types arise as the result of the different historical evolution of each city. In the first case, there is an introverted and defensive spatial organization, while in the second case there is an extroverted commercial city. By presenting these two urban types and analyzing the reasons that created them, we will end up in the contemporary city, which continues to preserve its multi-cultural character regardless of the transformations that followed.