Population growth in Central Macedonia Municipalities. ELSTAT 2011 Population growth in Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area Municipalities. ELSTAT 2011 FIGURES XIII AND XIV
eastwards and westwards. Thus, the buildings within the entire metropolitan area were mostly built between 1960 and1980 (42% of the total stock built) and between 1980 and 1995 (30% of the total stock built). More than 30% of the total surface area of the central area of Thessaloniki, which formed the city boundary for over 2,000 years, was rebuilt following the great fire of 1917. However, the city kept the social and urban diversity that continues to characterize it today. In this densely built-up area, social differentiation is predominantly "vertical" with different socio-economic categories often living in the same buildings (this typology is known as "polykatoikia"). The upper floors are occupied by the wealthiest, the semi-basement and the ground floor by the poorest. This social diversity has exceptions: the seafront consists of elegant upper class buildings, while the area from the north of St Dimitris Street onwards is inhabited by middle class and more disadvantaged population groups (students, immigrants, etc.). Some areas of the city are historically associated with their mainly migrant population, such as the railway station area and the port. There is something of an east/west split in Thessaloniki, with the east traditionally being made up of the wealthier districts, inhabited by social categories with higher levels of education, and the west traditionally being home to the working class. Although this fragmentation may be visible in the housing typologies (quality, rent and sale prices) and in the quality of the urban fabric (green spaces, quality of urban planning), the dividing line is actually porous, with pockets of social housing in the privileged neighborhoods (Foinikas) and middle-class neighborhoods in lowerincome areas (Evosmos). Beyond these districts, residential suburbs extend over a large area and contain a wide range of socio-economic, urban and architectural characteristics; however, their common feature is that they are less well-integrated and connected to the urban center. Some areas are particularly dynamic, such as Thermi in the east, which has attracted many middle–class families and is experiencing rapid growth; in contrast, others, including industrial areas hardest hit by the crisis, are in decline. 4. Analysis of the housing market in Thessaloniki 4.1. Thessaloniki, severely hit by the crisis In Thessaloniki, trading in the housing market has traditionally focused almost exclusively (92%) on residential property, while commercial real estate accounted for just 3.8% of transactions, and land plot sales for around only 0.2%. The city of Thessaloniki has felt the impacts of the crisis more than elsewhere and the fall in property transactions due to the crisis has been particularly pronounced. As in the rest of Greece, the local housing market has been in recession since the end of 2008. The city center has been particularly hard hit by the crisis. In 2012, 30% of businesses in the downtown area closed down and the subway project, which was abandoned in 2012, is just one of the many major public works programs that have been canceled as a result of the austerity measures imposed on Greece by the Troika. Industry has also been affected. 30% of Sindos facilities have closed down since 2010, either because of insolvency or because activities have been relocated to countries with cheaper labor. NRC > Study on Adequate Urban Housing for Refugees in Thessaloniki !33
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