Athens : cars and the urban environment.

Athens is developing an integrated metropolitan approach. Traffic reform is part of large scale urban planning, of `restructuring' the city. That means for example creating the Archeological Park and `redoing' the central business district. A sweeping reform is planned (including decentralization of government) to turn things around. The story is told against the background of Athens' turbulent history during the last 150 years. The traffic reform pivots on upgrading and reorganizing the public transport network: the complete reorganization of the bus network and what is called the `reinvention of rail' (heavy, investment in two new metro lines, a tramway system for the central district and suburban rail). Inevitably the question of funding is raised.