This piece from Domus goes on a tour of Athens with local architect Andreas Angelidakis, who reflects on the city's lasting and negative impacts from hosting the Olympics.
The city was left with deep debt and many physical event venues that have been unable to stay in use.
"Angelidakis adds "this is exactly what I wanted to talk about, what the Olympic Games left the city." This takes us to the second stop on our journey after steering our way through deafening and nightmare traffic for about 20 minutes. We come to the port of Faliron Delta, the only area inside the walls of Ancient Athens that gave access to the port. Here, towering above crumbling, abandoned and overgrown buildings is a stadium, also abandoned but as colossal as the Stade de France and designed for beach volleyball.
'Beach volleyball? Why on earth build a concrete stadium for beach volleyball?' Andreas asks me, 'Do you see the need? These megastructures are closed and abandoned; they can't even be used for concerts or anything else so they are orphans of the city, dead. If they were, at least, open to the public they could become the modern ruins of Athens, at least people could visit them.'"
FULL STORY: The divided Athens of Andreas Angelidakis
Despite Expenses, Athens Enjoys Transit Legacy of 2004 Olympics
The 2004 Olympics in Athens burdened the city with underutilized venues and deep debt. But the event also vastly improved pedestrian and public transportation.
As Venues Sit Unused, Athens Feels Olympic Remorse
Four years after it hosted the Summer Olympics, Athens is questioning whether the $15 billion investment in venues that now largely sit unused was really worth it.
Abandoned Olympic Venues Cast Doubt on the Value of Hosting
Though cities hope for an economic boost, these photos show it's far from guaranteed.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.
How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope
Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.
Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects
The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service