The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
HISTORY
OF ATHENS
The
Mid-War Period
Refugees resettlement
The arrival of refugees from Asia Minor and the Balkans caused
the population of Athens to increase dramatically to 460.000 in
1928 and in the entire area, including Athens and Piraeus, to
800.000. The most important problem facing the already exhausted
country was the rehabilitation of refugees, most of whom were
housed in quickly built shacks on the outskirts of the city.
Government
initiatives and international assistance led to a unique (in Greece)
housing program that was put in place in areas inhabited by refugees
such as Nea Ionia, Kallithea, Neios Kosmos, Nea Smirni, Nikaia
and Kaissariani. On several occasions political innovation was
matched with
advanced architectural ideas in accordance with European modernism.
The
refugees enlivened the city’s economy. The availability
of inexpensive labor promoted industrial development, which flourished
in the mid-war period. Social inequality, however, increased at
the same rate. Many refugees settlements, particularly in shanty
town areas, were marked by poverty and marginalization.