Enriching the legacy of Athens' 2004 Olympic Village : the role of information technology infrastructure

Abstract

The year is 2004. Athens, the capital of Greece is hosting the Olympic Games for the first time in 108 years. Athens, to accommodate the needs of the XXVIII Olympiad, has altered the form of the city through major infrastructure projects. The Olympic Village, as one of these projects, is a place with significant information infrastructure and transformation capabilities that will contribute to the future development of Athens. In this thesis, I examine the post-Olympic development of Athens' Olympic Village. Although the Greek government has decided that the Village will be used for housing, I believe that other forms of development should be explored. Under the hypothesis that the presence of information technology infrastructure provides a unique opportunity for post-Olympic development, this thesis proposes an alternative solution for the Village's future development. Through research on the experience of previous Olympic Villages, presentation of the current situation of the Athens Olympic Village, and evaluation of the role of information technology infrastructure on urban structures, I propose an alternative post-Olympic development for the Village; a proposal that not only values the Village's role in the surrounding community but also the potential of the Village to become a major technology center which will aid the future development of Athens.